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Deal Announced, Sequencing Unclear
US President Donald Trump said his Board of Peace reached a “historic” agreement for the “complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza,” with “Israeli forces” withdrawing and an “International Stabilization Force” working with a “new Palestinian police force” to take responsibility for Gaza’s safety.
“Hamas said Friday that it will begin disarming as part of a deal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump”
NBC News reported Hamas said it will begin disarming as part of the deal, but that laying down its heavy weapons would come later and be contingent on the creation of a Palestinian state, which Israel’s current government rejects.
The NBC account also said the agreement is part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire announced last October, and that progress stalled because Israel said everything hinged on Hamas disarming while Hamas accused Israel of violating the agreement by continuing regular strikes on Gaza.
In Cairo, Reuters quoted a Middle East expert at London’s Chatham House think tank, Neil Quilliam, saying expectations are low that Hamas will actually disarm or that Israel will withdraw from Gaza.
NBC News added that the agreement’s phased implementation faces major challenges, including a process to decommission and store heavy weapons, military production sites and tunnels after the arrival of the Palestinian committee and the deployment of international forces.
Israel Demands Full Demilitarization
The Guardian reported that confusion over what should happen first—Hamas disarmament or IDF withdrawal—remained unresolved after Trump offered no clarity on the sequence at a cabinet meeting at Camp David.
The Guardian also said Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, rejected “cosmetic solutions” and insisted Hamas had to “actually” disarm, telling CNN: “Disarmament means the weapons out of Gaza, they have no control of the weapons, and then we can move forward.”
CNN reported that senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad confirmed the group had reached an agreement to disarm, but only if Israel ceases fire, stops all targeted killings in Gaza, withdraws its troops to the so-called “Yellow Line” and allows a surge of humanitarian aid.
CNN added that Hamad said “We will not begin any weapons-related steps until Israel implements these commitments,” and that Hamas later said disarmament was contingent on the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state, which Trump didn’t mention.
The Guardian further reported that Itamar Ben-Gvir dismissed the plan as “unacceptable,” while an Israeli official told Reuters that “Israel demands the complete disarmament of Hamas, including the removal of weapons from Gaza and the complete demilitarisation of the strip as a precondition for any process.”
Governance, Aid, and Security Stakes
ABC News said Trump framed the announcement as a step toward “Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government,” with the Board of Peace overseeing the 20-point plan and with “Israel will have the security it deserves” as Gaza is no longer used as a base for terror attacks.
““Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government””
ABC News reported that the Board of Peace said Hamas had “agreed to a detailed Roadmap for implementing the next phases of the Gaza ceasefire,” describing it as a “historic breakthrough” and saying it would be followed by Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
CNN reported that Hamas insisted the NCAG, a Palestinian technocratic committee appointed by the Board of Peace, must enter and take over governance of the strip, and that Hamad said Hamas’ heavy weapons would be “stored under the National Committee’s supervision.”
NBC News said Israel currently controls around 60% of Gaza, where areas have been mostly destroyed and depopulated, while most of the territory’s 2 million Palestinians are in the other part living in tent camps and destroyed neighborhoods.
The Guardian added that the plan also required the NCAG and an international force to enter Gaza and dismantle Israeli-backed militias, while Israel said it would not withdraw from the “Yellow Line” until Hamas undergoes “genuine disarmament.”
