Full story
Roadmap accepted, conditions set
Hamas approved the final draft of a roadmap to complete the implementation of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, a step that Xinhua described as coming after more than two and a half years of conflict in the enclave.
“Hamas has approved the final draft of a roadmap to complete the implementation of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement”
The draft outlines political, security and administrative arrangements, including transferring the administration of Gaza to a Palestinian national committee, restructuring civilian and security institutions, implementing a phased Israeli withdrawal, and launching a reconstruction program under Palestinian and international supervision.
Hamas said Friday it accepted the mediators’ roadmap to complete the implementation of the second phase, while also stating that progress remains conditional on an end to Israeli military operations and the fulfillment of commitments under the first phase of the agreement.
Xinhua reported that Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim said, "The ball is now in Israel's court" to fulfill its obligations, and it quoted Ramallah-based political analyst Esmat Mansour saying the roadmap "goes beyond declaring a ceasefire."
Israel, Hamas trade demands
While Trump announced a deal for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw, Israel had not commented on the announcement, and Newsday said the agreement would face "many hurdles and could take a long time to achieve, if at all."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged both sides to implement the roadmap "without any questions, skepticism, or determination to undermine it," framing it as the only “good news” in recent days amid escalation in the Gulf.
In Gaza, Hamas said it would begin disarming as part of the plan, but a political source told AFP that there would be "no withdrawal whatsoever" from Israeli forces’ current lines unless Hamas underwent a genuine disarmament.
A senior Hamas official, Ghazi Hamad, told The Express Tribune that "If Israel does not implement (its obligations under the agreement), we will not implement ours either," tying implementation of the second phase to Israel first fulfilling its obligations under the first phase.
Governance, disarmament, verification
The roadmap described by multiple outlets centers on the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), with Aaj English TV saying the deal includes handing over Hamas’s weapons to a Palestinian governing committee and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
“"Implementation and verification have to be real,"”
Aaj English TV reported that the agreement calls for an International Stabilisation Force to separate Israeli troops from NCAG-controlled areas, and it quoted Board of Peace high representative Nikolay Mladenov saying, "Implementation and verification have to be real," and that "Withdrawal must move in lockstep with decommissioning."
Anadolu Ajansı reported that Palestinian sources said implementation of the second phase would begin within 14 days after approval by "all relevant parties," and that the draft requires a complete cessation of military operations and full implementation of the humanitarian protocol before moving on.
The Express Tribune said Hamas approved a "clear, written agreement" covering Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction, the deployment of international forces, the assumption of duties by the NCAG, and weapons arrangements, while also saying Israel had not officially announced its approval of the agreement.
