(NewsNation) — A former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations says the demilitarization of Hamas is the next pivotal step in the ceasefire deal reached between the group and Israel.
“If you don’t get past that, the rest of the peace plan simply doesn’t happen,” John Bolton told “On Balance” on Tuesday.
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement saw the reunification of Israeli and Palestinian families on Monday, as Hamas released 20 living and four deceased hostages. Palestinians also gathered to welcome the more than 1,900 imprisoned and detained Palestinians released by Israel as part of the deal.
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“Nobody can dispute the importance of bringing the Israeli hostages back, although Hamas has already failed to comply with the provisions for the remains of the hostages who were already deceased,” added Bolton.
“But the next step is this question of disarming the Hamas fighters and giving the Israeli Defense Forces full access to the tunnel system, the fort Hamas built under Gaza, so it can be destroyed.”
Disarming of Hamas connects back to Oct. 7 attacks: Bolton
Since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, Israel has been trying to eliminate Hamas as a political and military force.
Bolton says Israel is on the right path and has “done enormous damage” to Hamas. However, it has not completed the mission it set out to do.
“I think the (Benjamin) Netanyahu government fully understands that,” said Bolton.
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Bolton also said Iran was the central barrier to peace and security in the Middle East before the attacks.
“I think it ties in directly to an understanding of what happened on Oct. 7, 2023, and what’s been going on since then,” Bolton explained. “It was not simply the beginning of a war in Gaza caused by Hamas; it was the Iranian ring of fire strategy to envelop Israel and ultimately destroy it.”
Hamas holds public executions, tightens grip on Gaza
U.S. President Donald Trump has given his blessing to Hamas to reassert some control of Gaza, at least temporarily. After the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops last week, the group has swiftly reclaimed the streets of Gaza’s urban areas.
In a video circulated late Monday, Hamas fighters dragged seven men with hands tied behind their backs into a Gaza City square, forced them to their knees and shot them from behind as dozens of onlookers watched from nearby shopfronts.
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A Hamas source confirmed that the video was filmed Monday and that Hamas fighters participated in the executions. Reuters was able to confirm the location by visible geographic features.
Trump has said further conversations about the next steps for Gaza are already underway.
