Washington/Gaza, July 31, 2026: US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced what he described as a “historic” agreement for the phased disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, saying the breakthrough marked a major step toward his broader Gaza peace initiative. However, Israel expressed reservations over the proposal, insisting it did not fully address its security requirements.
In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump said negotiations in Cairo between international mediators and Hamas representatives had resulted in an agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed factions operating in Gaza.
He described the accord as a “historic” and “monumental step toward lasting peace and security,” saying the disarmament would be implemented in carefully structured phases under his proposed 20-point Gaza peace plan.
According to Trump, the agreement would pave the way for the establishment of a new Palestinian transitional administration to govern Gaza in coordination with the Board of Peace, a multinational body tasked with overseeing governance, humanitarian assistance, reconstruction and economic recovery.
He said Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza following the completion of the disarmament process, after which an International Stabilization Force, working alongside a new Palestinian police force, would assume responsibility for maintaining security.
A senior Hamas official told the BBC that the movement had accepted the Board of Peace’s disarmament roadmap in principle and that an official announcement would be issued shortly.
Hamas negotiator Ghazi Hamad told Al Jazeera that negotiations had been difficult but constructive, stressing that the movement sought the best possible outcome for the Palestinian people.
However, he said implementation of the agreement would depend on Israel fulfilling its commitments, including a complete military withdrawal from Gaza and meaningful progress on reconstruction.
“We will not take any action regarding disarmament prior to Israel’s withdrawal from the Strip,” Hamad said.
According to documents obtained by international media, the agreement requires the preparation of a comprehensive disarmament plan within 14 days, with any extension subject to approval by an international verification mechanism and the consent of all parties.
The process would begin with the deployment of a National Committee and an International Stabilization Force into Gaza.
The National Committee would supervise the inventory, collection and secure storage of weapons, while an independent international verification body would monitor compliance throughout the process.
Under the proposal, Palestinian factions would participate in the disarmament mechanism, but all collected weapons would remain under the custody of the National Committee rather than being transferred to Israel or any foreign authority.
The roadmap also links Hamas’s disarmament directly to a phased Israeli military withdrawal and the establishment of a new Palestinian transitional administration.
The first stage envisages Hamas’s police force surrendering its weapons to the new Palestinian authorities.
The second phase includes dismantling tunnels, weapons depots and production facilities, while heavy weapons would be decommissioned and placed in secure storage.
The final stage covers the surrender of personal and light weapons under Palestinian law, with all militias, clans and other armed groups in Gaza also required to disarm.
Officials acknowledged that dismantling Hamas’s military infrastructure would be a lengthy and technically complex undertaking due to the group’s extensive tunnel network and weapons facilities.
Despite Trump’s announcement, Israel has not formally endorsed the proposal.
A US official said Israeli authorities remained “very skeptical” that Hamas would fully implement the agreement but expressed confidence that both parties would ultimately honour their commitments.
“If they don’t, obviously President Trump would be very, very disappointed,” the official said.
Earlier on Thursday, an Israeli official said Israel had rejected an earlier version of the proposal because it did not guarantee the complete removal of Hamas’s weapons and the full demilitarisation of Gaza before any political process could begin.
Israeli media later reported that the government continued to oppose key elements of the proposal, although The Times of Israel, citing unnamed sources, reported that Hamas representatives, the Board of Peace and mediating countries had signed the agreement.
The negotiations were held in Cairo with mediation by Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye.
Trump thanked all three countries for their role in advancing the negotiations.
Egyptian state-linked media reported that Cairo would soon host another round of talks involving Egypt, the United States, Qatar and Türkiye aimed at securing commitments for implementing the second phase of the ceasefire roadmap.
An Egyptian official familiar with the negotiations said Hamas and other Palestinian factions had formally approved the proposal, including the deployment of international forces and the launch of the National Committee’s work.
The Board of Peace described the agreement as the outcome of months of intensive negotiations conducted in good faith.
In a statement, the organisation said the roadmap marked the first time Hamas had formally committed to an actionable plan for relinquishing all of its weapons.
The board said the agreement offered a framework for governance reform, humanitarian relief, reconstruction and economic recovery while creating conditions for long-term stability in Gaza.
Nickolay Mladenov, Director-General and High Representative for Gaza at the Board of Peace, acknowledged that the negotiations had been extremely difficult.
“There were several points when I did not believe we would make it,” he wrote on X.
He said successful implementation would depend on credible verification, parallel Israeli military withdrawal and the systematic decommissioning of weapons.
Mladenov added that the ultimate objective remained “a Gaza rebuilt, governed by Palestinians and at peace with Israel,” creating a pathway towards a broader political settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Officials said the roadmap would operate under a “zero-trust” mechanism, with each stage proceeding only after an independent verification committee confirmed that both Hamas and Israel had fulfilled their respective obligations.
Despite the diplomatic breakthrough, significant questions remain regarding implementation.
Officials have yet to determine how long the disarmament process will take. While one Board of Peace official estimated the timeline at between 200 and 320 days, US officials said progress would ultimately depend on conditions on the ground.
Uncertainty also remains over the handling of personal weapons, Israel’s final approval of the roadmap, the size and mandate of the proposed international stabilisation force, and whether Israeli troops will completely withdraw from Gaza.
Even as negotiations progressed, hostilities continued in Gaza.
Health authorities in Gaza said separate Israeli airstrikes on Thursday killed at least six Palestinians, including two children, a woman and three men. The Israeli military said it had targeted Hamas militants.
According to Gaza health officials, more than 1,200 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israeli attacks since the October ceasefire, while Israeli authorities say four Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants during the same period.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also stated that Israel intends to expand the area under its military control to 70 percent of Gaza, underscoring the significant obstacles that remain before the proposed agreement can be fully implemented.
