Daijiworld Media Network – Washington
Washington, Jul 31: US President Donald Trump on Friday announced that an agreement had been reached under which Hamas would disarm and Israel would withdraw its forces from Gaza, marking what he described as a major step towards ending the prolonged conflict in the Palestinian territory.
However, neither Hamas nor Israel immediately confirmed the agreement, and significant challenges, conditions and timelines remain before the proposed plan can be fully implemented.
The announcement comes nine months after a US-brokered ceasefire agreement was signed, with negotiations between Israel and Hamas having remained largely deadlocked over the implementation of its second phase, including Hamas' disarmament and Gaza's reconstruction.
According to Trump, the agreement will be implemented in carefully structured phases. As Hamas completes its disarmament, Israeli forces will gradually withdraw from Gaza, while an International Stabilisation Force, working alongside a new Palestinian police force, will assume responsibility for maintaining security in the territory.
Trump's proposed 20-point ceasefire plan calls for Hamas to surrender its weapons, dismantle its extensive tunnel network, and facilitate the formation of a technocratic Palestinian government. The plan also envisages the deployment of an international security force and the reconstruction of Gaza after more than two years of conflict.
Hamas, however, had previously insisted that the first phase of the ceasefire be fully implemented before discussions on disarmament. The Iran-backed group, whose founding charter advocates armed resistance against Israel, has long been reluctant to relinquish its arsenal of rockets, anti-tank missiles and explosives.
Earlier this month, Hamas announced that it had dissolved its government in Gaza and was preparing to transfer administrative authority to a United Nations-backed technical committee as part of the ceasefire process.
US officials and representatives of the Board of Peace, an international body established by the Trump administration to oversee the ceasefire, expressed optimism about the agreement while briefing reporters on condition of anonymity.
Officials said Gaza's police force is expected to hand over its weapons to the new technocratic administration within the next two weeks. However, they acknowledged that the police force does not include the majority of Hamas fighters, and the agreement does not yet cover the group's heavy weapons.
No specific timeline has been provided for the complete disarmament of Hamas or other armed groups operating in Gaza, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel's subsequent military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Israeli forces currently control more than half of the Gaza Strip, with large sections of the population displaced and living in overcrowded tent camps or heavily damaged urban areas.