US President Donald Trump has claimed that his Board of Peace has reached a “historic agreement” for the complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza. However, responses from Hamas and Israeli officials suggest that fundamental disagreements remain over weapons, military withdrawal and the order in which the plan would be implemented.
Trump declares a critical step
Trump announced the development on his Truth Social platform, describing it as a major milestone in his 20-point plan for Gaza and a “monumental step” towards lasting peace and security.
According to the president, disarmament would take place in carefully structured phases. Israeli forces would gradually withdraw as armed groups surrendered their weapons, while an International Stabilisation Force and a newly established Palestinian police force assumed responsibility for security.
Gaza would ultimately be administered by a new Palestinian government working alongside the Board of Peace. Trump said the arrangement would help the Palestinian population while ensuring that Gaza could no longer be used as a base for attacks against Israel.
He thanked Egypt, Qatar and Turkey for their work as mediators during negotiations in Cairo.
Hamas describes agreement as a draft
Despite Trump’s language, a Hamas official described the document as a draft rather than a completed agreement.
A source close to the negotiations said Hamas had discussed placing its heavy weapons in storage under the control of a Palestinian administration. Those weapons would not be transferred to Israel.
Ghazi Hamad, a member of the Hamas negotiating team, said the group would not take any action concerning disarmament before Israeli forces had withdrawn from Gaza.
That position exposes one of the central problems facing the proposal. Israel has insisted that Hamas must disarm before a wider political process can proceed, while Hamas is demanding an Israeli withdrawal before surrendering its weapons.
Questions also remain over whether the agreement covers light and personal weapons, as well as how tunnels, weapons depots and production facilities would be dismantled.
Israel remains sceptical
An Israeli official said that Israel had rejected an earlier version of the proposal because it did not adequately meet the country’s security requirements.
Israel is demanding the removal of weapons from Gaza and the complete demilitarisation of the territory. The official said the 15-point document discussed during the negotiations did not provide a satisfactory response to those demands.
A US official acknowledged that Israel remained highly sceptical that Hamas would surrender its weapons, although Washington said it was confident that the group would comply.
The timeline is another unresolved issue. A Board of Peace official estimated that the disarmament process could take between 200 and 320 days, but another American official played down that estimate. Full details are expected to be released within two weeks.
Violence continues despite diplomacy
The situation on the ground remains far removed from the political vision presented by Trump.
Israeli strikes killed at least six Palestinians in Gaza on Thursday, including two children, according to medical officials. The Israeli military said it had targeted Hamas militants.
The broader plan calls for increased humanitarian assistance, civilian Palestinian administration, reconstruction of the devastated territory and the eventual withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Trump’s Board of Peace was established to supervise Gaza’s temporary governance and reconstruction. The organisation is chaired by Trump and includes representatives from more than two dozen countries, although it has been criticised for lacking direct Palestinian representation.
The announcement represents unusual progress in negotiations that have repeatedly stalled over disarmament. Yet without clear public approval from both Hamas and Israel, it remains uncertain whether the plan is a genuine breakthrough or another framework vulnerable to collapse over the sequence of its most important commitments.
Newshub Editorial in North America – 31 July 2026
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