Just as President Donald Trump prepared to depart on his Mideast peace tour, a voice of deep skepticism emerged from a former top aide, H.R. McMaster. The retired general, who served as Trump’s national security adviser, publicly cast doubt on a core premise of the ceasefire deal, predicting that Hamas will not disarm and that Israel will ultimately have to destroy them.
McMaster’s assessment, delivered at a Washington event, highlights a fundamental flaw in the current truce: it does not resolve the question of Hamas’s military future. “I think the chances of (Hamas) disarming themselves, you know, are pretty close to zero,” he stated bluntly. This view suggests that the deal is merely a temporary pause in an ongoing war, not a pathway to a lasting peace.
This perspective, which can be called the “McMaster Doctrine” in this context, posits that a militant group like Hamas will never voluntarily relinquish the arms that give it power and influence. Therefore, any peace agreement that does not include a credible mechanism for forced disarmament is inherently unstable. He predicted the Israeli military “is going to have to destroy them” in the coming months.
This sober analysis contrasts sharply with the optimistic rhetoric of the Trump administration. While the president speaks of rebuilding Gaza and forging new regional partnerships, McMaster’s comments serve as a stark reminder of the harsh security realities on the ground. It reflects the Israeli government’s own position that its military campaign is not truly over.
As Trump engages in high-level diplomacy, this skeptical viewpoint will be a key counter-narrative. It raises the critical question of whether the current peace effort is addressing the symptoms of the conflict—the fighting and the hostage crisis—while leaving the root cause, an armed and hostile Hamas, in place.
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