Hamas announced Friday its agreement to a comprehensive deal that includes provisions for its disarmament and the phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, aiming to end the ongoing conflict.
The group's disarmament has been a significant hurdle in negotiations for a ceasefire, which has been in place since October. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed late Thursday an agreement for the "complete disarmament" of Hamas, characterizing it as a crucial step towards establishing a new Palestinian government in Gaza.
Hamas officials indicated to AFP that a committee established by Trump's "Board of Peace" would oversee the process of securing the Islamist movement's weaponry. The group expects mediators and the Board of Peace to ensure Israel adheres to the terms, including its withdrawal from Gaza. Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas's negotiating team, stated that the movement was making "concessions for the sake of our people in the Gaza Strip, to save them from killing and displacement." He clarified that an internal committee, the National Committee for Administration of Gaza (NCAG), would manage disarmament without Israeli intervention.
The Board of Peace confirmed on X that Hamas had accepted a "detailed Roadmap for implementing the next phases of the Gaza ceasefire," with their immediate focus shifting to implementation. The NCAG is expected to begin a gradual transition to full authority. President Trump stated that following Hamas's disarmament, Israeli forces would withdraw, and an International Stabilization Force would collaborate with a new Palestinian police force to ensure Gaza's safety.
Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's high representative for Gaza, described the deal as the result of "months of very difficult negotiations," emphasizing that "implementation and verification have to be real" and that "withdrawal must move in lockstep with decommissioning." Egypt's state-linked Al-Qahera News reported that Cairo will soon host a meeting of Gaza truce mediators, including the United States, Qatar, and Turkey, to discuss the second phase of the ceasefire plan.
A diplomatic source privy to the talks revealed that the roadmap outlines 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." This plan, the source added, includes the elimination of all tunnels, weapons depots, and weapons production facilities, with a verification mechanism to ensure compliance from both sides, stating there would be "no exceptions for certain weapons or certain people. One authority, one law, one weapon." Earlier, a Hamas source noted that amendments had been submitted to the Board of Peace's roadmap regarding weapons, with some points removed and alternatives proposed. This comes after an Israeli political source indicated that the proposed agreement did not "satisfactorily" address Israeli demands for complete disarmament and demilitarization as a precondition.
