President Donald Trump announced Thursday what he described as a historic agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, a milestone in the peace process he has overseen since brokering a ceasefire nine months ago, though significant uncertainty remains about how and when the plan will be carried out.
What Happened
Trump said the agreement was reached through his Board of Peace, the international body he established to oversee implementation of a 20-point peace plan that ended active fighting in Gaza. In a social media post, Trump said the deal marks a “major milestone” that will be carried out in phases, with Israeli forces withdrawing as Hamas disarmament is completed and an International Stabilization Force working alongside a new Palestinian police force to secure the territory.
According to a copy of the agreement obtained by Al Jazeera, the document requires a precise disarmament roadmap to be prepared within 14 days, with possible extensions subject to approval from an international verification body and agreement among all parties. A US official said the Gaza police force is expected to begin turning over weapons to the Board of Peace-backed administration within the next two weeks, though officials could not offer specific timelines for the disarmament of Hamas itself or of other armed factions such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Notably, neither Hamas nor Israel had given public confirmation of the agreement’s terms by Thursday evening. A US official said Israel, which has remained skeptical of Hamas’s willingness to relinquish weapons or behind-the-scenes influence in Gaza, had been consulted throughout the negotiation process.
Why It Matters
The announcement addresses what has been the central and most difficult sticking point since the ceasefire was signed nine months ago: negotiations over the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza had remained largely deadlocked during that period, even as the initial ceasefire held. If implemented, the agreement would represent the clearest pathway yet toward the second phase of Trump’s broader peace plan, potentially ending the active military role of Hamas in Gaza for the first time since it seized control of the territory in 2007.
The stakes are significant for all parties involved. For Israel, verified disarmament has been described by Trump as a way to ensure the country has “the security it deserves,” while removing Gaza’s use as what he called a base for terror attacks. For Palestinians in Gaza, the agreement is tied to the prospect of a new, technocratic governing administration that officials say is intended to serve residents directly rather than operate under armed factional control.
The deal also lands amid a broader Middle East landscape shaped by the ongoing US-Iran conflict, of which Hamas has been a key beneficiary as an Iran-aligned group. Progress on Gaza disarmament could reduce one avenue of regional volatility even as tensions with Iran directly remain elevated.
Context and Background
The ceasefire underlying Thursday’s announcement was brokered by the Trump administration roughly nine months ago, formally halting large-scale fighting in Gaza after the war triggered by Hamas’s October 7 attack. Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey have served as key mediators throughout the process, and Trump thanked all three in his announcement.
The Board of Peace, the multinational oversight body Trump created to implement the ceasefire’s terms, has faced a difficult year translating the initial agreement into concrete steps on disarmament and governance. Trump’s broader 20-point plan envisions Gaza eventually being governed by a new Palestinian administration working in coordination with the Board of Peace, a structure intended to replace Hamas’s governing role in the territory.
Israeli officials had previously demanded complete Hamas disarmament, including the removal of all weapons from Gaza and full demilitarization of the strip, as a precondition for further steps in the peace process, according to officials familiar with the negotiations.
Analysis
Regional analysts note that Thursday’s announcement, while significant, mirrors a pattern seen at earlier stages of the Gaza peace process, in which US and Board of Peace officials have offered optimistic public assessments that later required extended negotiation to implement fully. The fact that neither Hamas nor Israel confirmed the agreement’s terms independently is being read by some observers as a sign that key details remain unresolved even as the broader framework has been agreed upon.
Middle East watchers point to the 14-day window for finalizing a disarmament roadmap as an important near-term test of the agreement’s durability. Given that previous phases of the peace process have taken considerably longer than initially projected, analysts caution that the timeline outlined this week should be treated as an initial target rather than a guaranteed outcome.
The agreement’s success will likely depend heavily on whether Hamas’s leadership, including factions not directly party to Thursday’s announcement, ultimately accepts a process that would end its armed presence in Gaza after nearly two decades of control over the territory.
What Happens Next
The next two weeks will be closely watched as the Gaza police force begins the initial handover of weapons to the Board of Peace-backed administration, and as negotiators work to finalize the more detailed disarmament roadmap required under the agreement. Confirmation from Hamas and Israel on the specific terms will be an important signal of whether the announcement translates into implementation.
Longer term, the pace of Israeli withdrawal and the establishment of the International Stabilization Force alongside a new Palestinian police force will determine whether this agreement marks a genuine turning point in Gaza’s post-war transition or another incremental step in a longer process.
