Trump says Gaza deal reached for Hamas disarmament
US President Donald Trump announced a proposed agreement under which Hamas would disarm and Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza in phases. However, neither Israel nor Hamas confirmed the deal, and key issues, including timelines and implementation, remain unresolved
Washington: President Donald Trump said a deal had been reached for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza, but many hurdles, conditions and long timelines remained before the war in the Palestinian territory could end. However, neither Hamas nor Israel gave any immediate indication that they had agreed.
The White House announcement on Thursday came nine months after a US-brokered ceasefire was signed. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas had largely remained deadlocked over the implementation of the second phase, including the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza.
“The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases,” Trump said on social media. “As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to ensure Gaza is safe for its residents and its neighbours.”
Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan calls on the Iran-backed militant group to surrender its weapons and destroy its vast network of tunnels. It also envisions Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza, the formation of a new technocratic Palestinian government, the deployment of an international security force, and the rebuilding of the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave after more than two years of conflict.
However, Hamas had insisted on implementing the first phase before discussing its weapons. The group’s founding charter calls for armed resistance against Israel, and it has been reluctant to give up its arsenal, including rockets, anti-tank missiles and explosives, which lies at the heart of its identity.
Hamas announced earlier this month that it had dissolved its government in Gaza and was preparing to transfer power to a technical committee backed by the United Nations as part of the ceasefire deal.
US and Board of Peace officials, describing the deal to reporters on the condition of anonymity under White House guidelines, gave an optimistic assessment of the agreement and outlined a scenario similar to the one described by Trump and his top aides when the Board of Peace, an international body established by Trump to oversee the ceasefire in Gaza, was first formed.
The officials were unable to offer specific timelines for the disarmament of Hamas or other groups operating in Gaza, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, but said the Gaza police force would hand over its weapons to the technocratic Board of Peace-backed Gaza administration in the next two weeks.
The Gaza police force, however, does not include the vast majority of Hamas militants, and heavy weapons are not included in that part of the agreement, according to the officials.
Instead, the surrender of heavy weapons and the decommissioning of Hamas tunnels and other infrastructure will come later in a process that could take between 200 and 350 days, a Board of Peace official said.
A US official said Israel, which has been deeply sceptical about Hamas’ willingness to give up its weapons or relinquish even behind-the-scenes control of Gaza, had been consulted at every step of the negotiations.
However, the official said Israel was not being asked to do anything beyond what it had initially committed to when it agreed to Trump’s 20-point plan, which essentially involves withdrawing its forces from Gaza and ending airstrikes on the territory.
Israel’s UN Mission said it had no immediate comment.
The official added that Hamas’ sponsor, Iran, remains a wildcard because although it had advised Hamas members not to accept the deal, it is also not in a position to offer the group much support as it is preoccupied with its conflict with the United States.
The war in Gaza began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 people taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, including those killed since the ceasefire, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Israel’s military now controls more than half of Gaza, leaving Palestinians confined to overcrowded tent camps and heavily damaged urban neighbourhoods.
