Donald Trump on Thursday announced an agreement for the “complete disarmament” of Hamas, calling it a critical step toward a new Palestinian government in Gaza. There was no immediate statement from Hamas or Israel on the agreement.
“This agreement is a critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people,” Trump said in a social media post.
“At the same time, Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer used as a base for terror attacks.”
The Israeli embassy in Washington and Hamas did not immediately respond to requests for comment about Trump’s post.
Sources close to the talks told Reuters earlier on Thursday that progress was made but it is uncertain if the agreement will hold, as an Israeli official had said the proposed terms were not satisfactory.
“Israel demands the complete disarmament of Hamas, including the removal of weapons from Gaza and the complete demilitarisation of the strip as a precondition for any process,” the official said, adding that the plan under discussion did not “provide a satisfactory response to these demands and Israel conveyed its objections.”
Hamas leaders are reportedly holding talks with mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey on the second phase of Trump’s Gaza plan, as presented to them by his Board of Peace, which oversees its implementation.
On Thursday, a Hamas official said the group was coming with a “positive and good” response, but did not say whether the group had agreed to fully disarm – a key sticking point in the talks over the past four months.
Hamas wants Israel to commit to ending attacks on Gaza and withdrawing its forces.
A diplomat involved in the talks said the roadmap under discussion in Cairo would also see authority transferred in phases to the US-backed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), under the principle of “one authority, one law, one weapon”.
The plan includes the elimination of tunnels, arms stockpiles and weapons production facilities, the diplomat said, adding that by the end of the process there would be no remaining militant infrastructure in Gaza.
The diplomat described the roadmap as being based on reciprocal steps rather than trust.
So far, the reality on the ground in Gaza remains far from this roadmap.
Israeli strikes killed at least six Palestinians in Gaza on Thursday, including two children, local medics said.
The Israeli military has continued to expand its military occupation of Gaza, with the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that Israel intends to expand the area under its control to ۷۰% of the territory.
It remains unclear how many forces would be available to deploy with the planned International Stabilisation Force, and whether Israeli troops would withdraw from the territory.
