President Donald Trump announced on July 30 that his Board of Peace reached a “historic agreement” for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, marking the first major breakthrough in efforts to end the Middle East conflict through his international governance body established for post-war Gaza.
The agreement, negotiated over months in Cairo with mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, stipulates that a detailed disarmament roadmap must be prepared within 14 days, with possible extensions subject to international verification and approval of all parties. According to a copy obtained by Al Jazeera, the process will begin with the entry of a National Committee and an International Stabilization Force into Gaza, with the National Committee overseeing the inventory and storage of weapons surrendered by Palestinian factions.
Trump said Israel would withdraw from Gaza as disarmament is completed and be replaced by the International Stabilization Force working with a new Palestinian police force. “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,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas’s negotiating delegation, told Al Jazeera that the negotiations “were difficult and hard,” but Hamas would not implement any part of the agreement if Israel failed to fulfill its obligations. Hamas stated that disarmament depended on Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and progress on reconstruction, establishing reciprocal conditions for implementation.
Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza, said it “took months of very difficult negotiations” to reach the agreement, adding that “implementation and verification have to be real” and that “withdrawal must move in lockstep with decommissioning.” The plan envisions weapons held by police forces being transferred first, followed by the decommissioning of heavy weapons, with all military activity in Gaza required to cease under the arrangement.
Netanyahu’s office issued a statement demanding “the full disarmament of Hamas, including removal of the weaponry from Gaza,” without explicitly endorsing Trump’s announcement. Israeli officials told local media they would not take action until Hamas disarms, creating a potential deadlock over sequencing. An Israeli official stated that troops would not pull back without “genuine” disarmament of Hamas, contradicting the phased approach outlined in the agreement.
Expert analysis has focused on the distinction between “inventory and storage” and true disarmament. Military analyst Nidal Abu Zaid told Al Jazeera that inventory and storage “is carried out by a third party, but that party does not need to be an enemy force,” whereas disarmament traditionally involves an adversary force—a semantic difference that reflects deep Palestinian concerns about surrendering weapons to hostile parties.
Trump’s Board of Peace was formally established in January 2026, following the announcement of his Gaza peace plan in September 2025. The board was created to oversee Gaza’s post-war governance and reconstruction after the October 2025 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Since that ceasefire took effect, Israel has killed more than 1,200 Palestinians and continued to restrict movement of people and goods, according to Al Jazeera reporting, creating skepticism about the current agreement’s prospects.
Expectations for implementation remain low among analysts, with the process expected to take years if it proceeds at all. Hamas has made clear that the agreement hinges on reciprocal Israeli action, while Israeli officials have demanded unilateral Hamas disarmament before any withdrawal. The agreement also requires that weapons not be handed over to Israel or any non-Palestinian body, a safeguard inserted to address Palestinian fears of permanent Israeli occupation.
Sources
- Al Jazeera — obtained a copy of the agreement; reported Hamas negotiator Ghazi Hamad’s statement; detailed the disarmament process and weapons storage framework; reported Mladenov’s statement on negotiations and implementation
- Reuters — confirmed Trump’s announcement of the Board of Peace agreement; reported on Netanyahu’s statement and Israeli preconditions
- BBC — reported Hamas official confirmation of the agreement; covered Israeli official statements on withdrawal conditions
- NPR — reported on Hamas and Israeli skepticism regarding the deal and implementation challenges
- PBS NewsHour — covered the 15-point roadmap framework and phased transition plan
- The Guardian — reported on the months of negotiations in Cairo and Mladenov’s role
- Times of Israel — reported Netanyahu’s office statement demanding full disarmament before withdrawal
- AP News — reported on implementation obstacles and low expectations for the agreement
