Trump claims breakthrough on phased Hamas disarmament

US President Donald Trump has announced an agreement for Hamas and other armed factions to disarm in Gaza, although key provisions remain unsettled and implementation could take almost a year.

Trump described the agreement reached through the US-led Board of Peace as a major step in his 20-point plan for Gaza. The arrangement links phased disarmament to the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces, the transfer of authority to a technocratic Palestinian administration and the deployment of an international stabilisation mission.

Officials involved in the negotiations said the framework still required detailed technical discussions. Estimates for implementation range from 200 to 350 days, with progress expected to become visible over the next one or two months. The timetable may change because procedures for identifying, collecting, storing and destroying weapons have not been finalised.

The central dispute concerns what disarmament will mean in practice. Washington has presented the framework as providing for the complete removal of Hamas’s military capability. Hamas representatives have described a more conditional process involving the cataloguing and storage of weapons, rather than their immediate surrender or destruction.

A member of the Hamas negotiating delegation said implementation would depend on Israel fulfilling its commitments, including military withdrawal and an end to offensive operations. That position leaves considerable room for disagreement over sequencing, verification and the authority responsible for controlling weapons.

Israel has not issued a detailed formal response to Trump’s announcement. Its government has consistently demanded the dismantling of Hamas’s military infrastructure, including tunnels, rocket systems, command centres and weapons-production facilities. Israeli officials have also argued that reconstruction should not advance while Hamas retains an organised fighting force.

Under the proposed road map, disarmament would proceed in phases as Israeli troops withdraw from designated areas. An international stabilisation force would take responsibility for transitional security, assist with weapons collection and support the training of a new Palestinian police service.

The force is expected to operate alongside the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a technocratic body intended to replace Hamas’s civil administration. The committee would manage public services, reconstruction and day-to-day governance without formal control by Hamas or other armed groups.

Egypt, Qatar and Turkey have played prominent roles in the negotiations. Their involvement will be crucial because Hamas has sought guarantees that Israel will withdraw as agreed and that Palestinian territory will not remain under indefinite foreign or Israeli military control.

Hamas announced on July 6 that it had dissolved its Gaza government and was preparing to transfer administrative authority to the technocratic committee. The move addressed one element of the ceasefire framework but did not initially resolve questions about weapons, internal security or the future of its armed wing.

Israel’s security cabinet subsequently approved the entry of an international force into selected parts of Gaza. Israeli forces still control an estimated 64 per cent of the territory, while most of Gaza’s population is concentrated in severely damaged coastal areas and temporary shelters.

The disarmament framework represents the clearest movement on the second phase of the ceasefire that took effect in October 2025. Negotiations had remained stalled because Hamas resisted surrendering its weapons before an Israeli withdrawal, while Israel insisted that withdrawal and reconstruction depended on verified demilitarisation.

The Board of Peace was established to oversee the ceasefire plan, mobilise reconstruction funding and coordinate the proposed security transition. More than two dozen governments have joined the body, while several major Western and Global South countries have stayed outside it amid concerns about its structure, mandate and limited Palestinian representation.

Member states have pledged billions of dollars for Gaza’s reconstruction, and several countries have offered troops or police-training support. Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania have been linked to possible military contributions, while Egypt and Jordan are expected to assist with training Palestinian police personnel.

Reconstruction remains closely tied to the security arrangement. Gaza’s housing, medical, water, electricity and transport systems have suffered extensive destruction, but governments and financial institutions remain reluctant to release large-scale funding without guarantees that renewed fighting will not destroy rebuilt infrastructure.

Verification may prove the most difficult element. Hamas and other factions possess weapons dispersed across Gaza, while parts of the tunnel network remain inaccessible. Any monitoring mission would need reliable access, agreed inspection procedures and mechanisms to resolve allegations of non-compliance.