By Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent
Hamas has agreed to relinquish its weapons and disarm in Gaza, marking a breakthrough in negotiations with the Board of Peace to implement a multi-phase peace plan designed to end the long-standing war in the Palestinian territory. President Donald Trump announced the milestone agreement, which serves as a critical step toward securing lasting peace and security in Gaza. However, implementation remains heavily contingent upon Israel fulfilling its obligations under the United States-led plan originally signed in October.
Ghazi Hamad, a key negotiator for the Iran-backed group, emphasized that the arrangement functions as a cohesive entity. The agreement is a package, Hamad said, adding that the organization will not begin any weapons-related steps until Israel implements these commitments. Hamad stated frankly that if Israel does not implement them, the group will not proceed. Stipulations require Israeli forces to halt deadly attacks on Palestinians in Gaza, withdraw troops to the yellow line, allow for a surge in humanitarian aid, and permit a Palestinian technocratic committee to enter the enclave.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that a deal has been reached for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza, but many hurdles, conditions and long timelines remained to wind down the war in the Palestinian territory.
The White House announcement comes nine months after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire was signed. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas had largely deadlocked over the implementation of its 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 take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors.”
Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan calls on the militant group to surrender its weapons and destroy its vast network of tunnels. It also envisions Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza, the arrival of a new technocratic Palestinian government, deployment of an international security force and the rebuilding of the battered Palestinian enclave.
Trump announced what he said was an agreement to realize one of the most difficult portions of the Gaza ceasefire while negotiations have stalled and military attacks have escalated in the war that the U.S. and Israel in February launched against Iran, a key sponsor of Hamas. On Friday, a Hamas official said they have reached an agreement on disarmament, the most crucial part of the ceasefire deal, while Israel didn’t give an indication that they had agreed.
U.S. and Board of Peace officials, describing the deal to reporters on condition of anonymity under guidelines set by the White House, gave an extremely optimistic assessment of the agreement that laid out a scenario very 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 that operate in Gaza, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, but said the Gaza police force would turn over 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 weaponry is 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 are to come later in a process that could take between 200 and 350 days, a Board of Peace official said.
A U.S. official said Israel, which has been deeply skeptical about Hamas’ willingness to give up its guns or relinquish at least behind-the-scenes control of Gaza, had been consulted at every step of the negotiation. However, the official said Israel was not being asked to do anything more than what it had initially committed to when it agreed to Trump’s 20-point plan, which essentially involves withdrawing its forces from Gaza and committing to ending airstrikes on the territory. The official said Trump would be “very, very disappointed” if Israel didn’t adhere to the agreement. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House on Tuesday, but neither said much about what was discussed in their first face-to-face meeting since launching the war against Iran. Israel’s U.N. Mission said it had no immediate comment.
The official added that Iran remains a wildcard in the equation because although it counseled Hamas members not to accept a deal, it is also not in a position to offer thegroup much support because it is preoccupied with the conflict with the United States. Hamas previously had insisted on implementing the first phase of the ceasefire before moving to discuss its weapons. The group’s founding charter calls for armed resistance against Israel, and it has been reluctant to give up an arsenal, including rockets, anti-tank missiles and explosives, that lies at the heart of its identity. Hamas announced earlier this month, however, 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.
The war in Gaza began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, including those killed since the ceasefire, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. Israel’s military now controls more than half of Gaza, leaving Palestinians confined to squalid tent camps and heavily damaged urban neighborhoods.
Regional Unrest and Shifting Military Dynamics
Regional instability persisted as Iranian forces struck military infrastructure at the Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait. State media reported the assault, which the Iranian army claimed was a direct response to United States strikes on Qeshm Island that killed a civilian couple and their child in their home. Kuwait’s army and state media did not immediately confirm the attack. Meanwhile, neither Iranian media nor United States Central Command reported any strikes hitting inside Iran overnight. This pause marked a distinct change from Wednesday night, when the United States launched a heavy wave of retaliatory strikes targeting the country.
The tempo of maritime trade in strategic waterways remained depressed amid ongoing geopolitical friction. Only five vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz, according to marine traffic data from shipping analytics firm Kpler. The Iranian military warned the channel would remain closed as long as United States strikes persist. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the Strait would not be reopened if excessive rhetoric and threats by American officials continued. Further south, forty-seven ships transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait as Saudi Arabia announced a Maritime Defense Alliance backed by fourteen other countries to protect international shipping routes.
International Reactions and Humanitarian Realities
The international community responded to the disarmament announcement with a mixture of cautious optimism and persistent uncertainty. Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul described the news as hopeful while welcoming the agreement.
Wadephul wrote on social media that it is now key that real progress is made and Hamas actually disarms, stressing that the group must never again pose a threat to Israel. British First Secretary of State Louise Haigh noted that any progress on peace negotiations in Gaza was extremely welcome while adding that observers must await the Israeli government’s response.
The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza issued a statement welcoming the progress announced regarding the roadmap and the opening of a path toward implementation. The committee noted that the development represents an important milestone for the population in the Gaza Strip. After years of conflict, destruction, and uncertainty, the priority today is to translate this progress into practical steps that have a tangible impact on citizens’ daily lives. The committee was established in January and authorized by the United Nations to manage civilian administration in the wake of a peace agreement.
