US President Donald Trump said a new “Board of Peace” framework has agreed terms for the “complete disarmament” of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. A senior Hamas official told the BBC that the group had accepted the Board of Peace’s plan to carry out disarmament across Gaza, adding that an official statement would follow soon. Israel has not yet commented on the claim. Trump Links Disarmament to Gaza WithdrawalTrump said Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza “as disarmament is completed”. He also described the agreement as a key step towards Gaza being administered by a new Palestinian government. The US president said the second phase of a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire plan includes disarmament by Hamas. He said the same phase also covers reconstruction in Gaza. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the agreement would be implemented in “carefully structured phases”. He added that, as disarmament progresses, the International Stabilization Force would work with a new Palestinian police force to help ensure Gaza remains safe for residents and for neighbouring communities. Trump thanked mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkey for their role in the process. Mediation Meeting in Cairo PlannedAgence France-Presse, citing Egyptian state media, reported that Cairo is expected to host a meeting of Gaza mediators to discuss the second phase of the ceasefire plan. Earlier on the day of Trump’s announcement, Reuters reported that talks between mediators and Hamas leaders in Cairo on implementing the US-brokered plan had made rare progress. It also said an Israeli official told Reuters that the proposed terms were not satisfactory. After Trump’s comments, The Times of Israel, citing an unnamed source, reported that an agreement had been signed by Hamas negotiators, the Board of Peace and the mediating countries. However, it said “an Israeli office” issued a statement saying the disarmament proposal did not meet Jerusalem’s demands. Earlier, Israeli media reported that Israel opposed a deal being discussed with Hamas. Hamas Leadership Change and Past RejectionIn April, a senior Palestinian official told the BBC that Hamas had rejected a disarmament plan put forward by a leading figure in Trump’s Gaza peace efforts. Earlier this month, Hamas elected a new leader, Khalil al-Hayya, replacing Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by the Israeli military in Gaza in October 2024. As Hamas’s chief negotiator, Hayya led the group’s delegations at indirect ceasefire talks and met mediators in Egypt and Qatar. The BBC reported earlier this year that the Board of Peace was initially seen as a mechanism to help end the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and oversee reconstruction. It said the board’s proposed charter does not mention Palestinian territory and appeared to be intended to replace functions carried out by the United Nations. War BackgroundHamas carried out an attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel responded with a major military campaign in Gaza. The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 73,290 people have been killed in the fighting, including 21,280 children. Join the discussion? 31 July 2026
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