- US President Trump announced
- Hamas confirmed agreement on weapons, gradual Israeli troop withdrawal.
- Agreement outlines new Gaza administration, stabilization, and police force.
- Israel demands complete disarmament, finding current proposals unsatisfactory.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced what he described as a “historic” agreement for the “complete disarmament” of Hamas, saying the move would pave the way for a new Palestinian administration in Gaza.
The announcement came as senior Hamas officials confirmed that understandings had been reached with Israel on the group’s weapons and the phased withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. Israel did not immediately respond to the claims.
Trump Announces ‘Historic’ Agreement
Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the agreement would see Hamas and other armed groups gradually surrender their weapons under a structured process.
“Today, the Board of Peace reached a HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza. This is a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY,” Trump wrote, adding that the disarmament would be carried out in “carefully structured phases.”
“As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors,” he added while thanking mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.
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Hamas Confirms Understanding On Weapons
Senior Hamas officials told AFP that negotiations had resulted in an agreement covering the movement’s weapons and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
“An agreement has been reached regarding the issue of weapons…Furthermore, an agreement has been reached on a gradual withdrawal of (Israeli forces)” from the strip, a senior Hamas official said.
Earlier, sources involved in the Cairo-mediated negotiations had told AFP that Hamas was moving closer to accepting a framework involving the decommissioning of its weapons.
Disarmament Remains Central Sticking Point
The issue of Hamas’s disarmament has remained one of the most contentious aspects of ceasefire negotiations since fighting erupted in Gaza in October.
According to Trump’s proposed 20-point peace plan, the second phase of the ceasefire would include Hamas’s disarmament alongside the phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.
The proposal also envisions the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) taking over civilian governance during the territory’s post-war transition. The committee would be supported by the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), a proposed multinational force operating under Trump’s Board of Peace.
Egyptian state-linked broadcaster Al-Qahera News reported early Friday that mediators from Egypt, the United States, Qatar and Turkey are expected to meet in Cairo “soon” to discuss implementation of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan.
The broadcaster did not specify a date for the meeting but said discussions would focus on advancing the roadmap already agreed upon by Hamas and other Palestinian factions.
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‘No Exceptions’ On Weapons
A diplomatic source familiar with the negotiations told AFP that the proposed roadmap seeks the complete dismantling of armed infrastructure in Gaza.
“We continue to advance the implementation roadmap that offers a balanced and pragmatic path forward, with all weapons decommissioned and a phased transition of responsibilities taking place to hand over full authority to the technocratic government,” the source said.
The official added there would be “no exceptions for certain weapons or certain people. One authority, one law, one weapon”.
The roadmap also calls for dismantling tunnels, weapons depots and arms production facilities.
“All weapons, heavy and light, will be under full control of the NCAG in coordination with and with the support of the ISF,” the AFP report quoted the source as saying, adding that a verification mechanism would be established to monitor compliance by all sides.
Hamas Awaits Israeli Response
As per the AFP report, a Hamas source familiar with the negotiations said the group was “awaiting the Israeli response to the amendments we recently submitted to the mediators”.
The source said the revisions related to two provisions in the proposed roadmap.
Regarding the article concerning weapons, the Hamas source said that “some points were removed, and alternatives were proposed”.
However, an Israeli political source told AFP that the current proposal does not “satisfactorily” address Israel’s security demands.
“Israel demands the complete disarmament of Hamas, including the removal of weapons from Gaza and full demilitarization of the Strip as a precondition for any process,” the source said.
The source also maintained that “the issue of Gaza did not come up at all” during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump in Washington earlier this week.
