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Trump announces Hamas disarmament
President Donald Trump said Thursday that his Board of Peace reached an agreement for the “complete disarmament” of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, carried out in “carefully structured phases.”
“Trump on Thursday announced an agreement for the “complete disarmament” of Hamas”
Trump said in a social media post that “This agreement is a critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people,” while also saying “Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer used as a base for terror attacks.”
The Guardian reported that there was no immediate statement from Hamas or Israel on the agreement, and Reuters sources close to the talks said progress was made but it was uncertain if the agreement would hold.
NBC News said Israeli strikes killed at least six Palestinians in Gaza on Thursday, including two children, as talks in Cairo involved mediators and Hamas leaders.
In parallel, the Guardian reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intends to expand the area under its control to 70% of the territory, while it remained unclear how many forces would be available for the planned International Stabilisation Force and whether Israeli troops would withdraw.
Israel skeptical, Hamas cautious
The Hill reported that a U.S. official said Israel remains “skeptical” that Hamas will follow through, describing it as “a conditions-based deal” rather than a trust deal.
The Hill also quoted an outline from Amit Segal, chief political analyst for Israel’s N12News, saying Hamas would surrender all weapons within “weeks” to depots guarded by multinational forces, while Israel would not withdraw behind the “yellow line” until disarmament is complete.
NBC News said a Hamas official and a diplomat close to the Cairo talks said progress would be tested by Israel’s response and whether it allowed a broad accord to be reached, while an Israeli official said Israel had rejected a proposal.
NBC News also reported that Hamas leaders were holding talks with mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey on the second phase of Trump’s Gaza plan, and that a Hamas official said the group was coming with a “positive and good” response without saying whether it had agreed to fully disarm.
In the same reporting, the BBC said a senior Hamas official told it they had agreed to disarm after Trump announced the Board of Peace plan, while Trump said Israel would withdraw from Gaza “as disarmament is completed.”
Roadmap, weapons, and withdrawal
The Guardian described a roadmap under discussion in Cairo that would transfer authority in phases to the U.S.-backed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) under the principle of “one authority, one law, one weapon.”
“one authority, one law, one weapon”
The plan described by the Guardian included the elimination of tunnels, arms stockpiles and weapons production facilities, with the diplomat saying that by the end of the process there would be no remaining militant infrastructure in Gaza.
NBC News added that the diplomat close to the talks said the negotiations were making progress toward a road map that would decommission all heavy and light weapons in Gaza, while also calling for a surge in humanitarian aid and governance by a civilian Palestinian administration.
NBC News reported that sources close to Hamas said the group was willing to “confine and store” heavy weapons under a Palestinian body, not hand them over to Israel, and that it was not yet clear what would happen regarding light or personal weapons.
The Guardian said the Israeli military has continued to expand its military occupation of Gaza, with Netanyahu saying Israel intends to expand control to 70% of the territory, leaving uncertainty over whether Israeli troops would withdraw from the enclave.
