Hamas and other Palestinian factions have agreed to a document laying out a plan for their disarmament in Gaza. President Donald Trump called it "a monumental step" towards peace and security. The agreement was reached Thursday and Al Jazeera obtained a copy of it.
The document stipulates that a precise disarmament roadmap must be prepared within 14 days, with possible extensions subject to approval by an international verification body. Trump framed the deal as a success for the Board of Peace, the body established to oversee Gaza's governance.
"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 wrote on his Truth Social platform Thursday. "At the same time, Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer used as a base for terror attacks."
A Board of Peace official said Hamas and other armed factions would hand over weapons to a National Committee set to administer Gaza. Police weapons would be transferred first, followed by the decommissioning of heavy weapons. All military activity in Gaza would have to stop under the plan, though the official acknowledged the process would take time.
Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas's negotiating delegation, told Al Jazeera that reaching the agreement had not been easy. "These negotiations were difficult and hard, and we tried to reach the best possible formula that was achievable," Hamad said.
Hamad also made clear that Hamas would not move forward with disarmament unless Israel held up its end of the deal. He said implementation depended on Israel withdrawing from Gaza and progress on reconstruction. There has been no comment from Israel, and other reports indicate Israel has rejected the disarmament plan and refused to withdraw.
Trump said that once disarmament was complete, Israel would withdraw from Gaza and be replaced by an International Stabilization Force working alongside a new Palestinian police force. He described the disarmament as taking place in phases and tied it to the ceasefire deal he said he brokered in October.
Israel has killed more than 1,200 Palestinians since the ceasefire took effect, according to Al Jazeera, continuing to seize territory and restrict movement of people and goods. Six more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza on Thursday, including two children. The total death toll from Israel's military campaign in Gaza has surpassed 73,000, according to Al Jazeera.
The 14-day window for preparing the disarmament roadmap begins now, with the international verification body set to play a central role in what comes next.
