Trump Announces Hamas Has Agreed to Full Disarmament in Gaza Under Board of Peace Deal

• • Trump's Board of Peace said Hamas agreed to completely disarm in Gaza, with a senior Hamas official confirming the deal to the BBC
• • The agreement is part of the second phase of a US-brokered ceasefire plan that also involves Israeli troop withdrawal and Gaza's reconstruction
• • Israel has not officially commented on the deal, but an unnamed Israeli office said the disarmament proposal did not meet its demands

US President Donald Trump announced on July 31 that Hamas has agreed to fully disarm in Gaza as part of a deal brokered by the Board of Peace, the international body he created and leads.

A senior Hamas official confirmed the agreement to the BBC, saying the group had accepted the board's disarmament plan and that an official statement from Hamas would follow shortly.

According to BBC, Israel had not issued a public comment, though an unnamed Israeli office was reported to have said the terms did not meet its demands.

The Board of Peace described the deal in a statement as the result of months of "intensive, good faith negotiations" and said its attention had now shifted to implementation.

What the Agreement Covers

Under the arrangement, Hamas's remaining heavy weapons would be inventoried and placed in storage under Palestinian supervision. Smaller armed groups in Gaza would be disarmed first, after which Hamas would begin dismantling what US officials called its state-like military infrastructure, covering tunnel networks, weapons storage sites and production facilities. Officials acknowledged that process would take considerably longer.

The plan was designed around what officials described as a "zero trust" framework, meaning neither Hamas nor Israel would advance to the next phase until the other had met its obligations.

Trump said Israel would pull its troops out of Gaza "as disarmament is completed" and described the agreement as "a critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government." He added that an International Stabilisation Force would work alongside a new Palestinian police force to maintain security in the territory.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump called the deal "a major milestone in the implementation of the Trump 20-Point Plan" and thanked Egypt, Qatar and Turkey for their role as mediators. The three countries are also expected to attend a meeting in Cairo soon to discuss the next steps in the truce process.

A US official, speaking to reporters, expressed confidence that Israel would honour commitments it had already agreed to, adding that Trump would be "very disappointed" if Israel chose not to withdraw. The official maintained that the US expected Israel to remain a cooperative partner.

Scepticism on All Sides

Israel has long doubted Hamas's sincerity on disarmament. Earlier this year, Hamas rejected a disarmament plan proposed by a key figure in Trump's peace effort, and Israeli media reported on Friday that Israel was opposed to the terms being discussed before the announcement was made.

In Gaza, the news was met with little visible enthusiasm. Many Palestinians have grown wary of political announcements that have previously failed to produce meaningful change on the ground.

Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect last October, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says at least 1,168 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks. Four Israeli soldiers have died in Palestinian attacks over the same period.

The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. More than 73,290 people have since been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry, a figure the UN considers reliable.

Countries Trump invited to "board of peace for Gaza"

Legit.ng earlier reported that US President Donald Trump has invited a wide range of global leaders to participate in a proposed “Board of Peace for Gaza,” a body intended to oversee his 20-point framework for ending the conflict and guiding reconstruction efforts in the Palestinian enclave.