President Donald Trump says that Hamas has agreed to disarm under an agreement in which Israel Defences Forces (IDF) will eventually withdraw from Gaza.
The deal reached by the Board of Peace lays out the disarmament of all terror groups in the strip and its large-scale reconstruction to bring an end to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Trump said that it was a “major milestone in the implementation” of his 20-point plan to bring an end to the Israel-Hamas war and begin the recovery process in the enclave.
The pact will be implemented in phases under the plan, as the IDF withdraws as disarmament progresses.
An International Stabilisation Force under the auspices of the Board of Peace is to work in tandem with a newly built Palestinian police force to provide security.
Israel has not commented officially on the deal. Officials have said that they are sceptical that Hamas will follow through.
In a post last night on his TruthSocial platform, the president said: “Today, the Board of Peace reached a HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza.
“This is a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY.
“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.
“At the same time, Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer used as a base for terror attacks.”
“This is a major milestone in the implementation of the Trump 20-Point Plan. The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases.
“As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilisation Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbours.”
An International Stabilisation Force under the auspices of the Board of Peace is to work in tandem with a newly built Palestinian police force to provide security.
Trump praised Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, which helped mediate with Hamas, he said.
Trump added: “The threat that emerged from Gaza on October 7 will NOT be allowed to rebuild!
“Under this agreement, Gaza will finally be in the hands of a new Palestinian government that serves its PEOPLE.”
In the UK, First Secretary of State Louise Haigh said any progress in peace negotiations is “extremely welcome”, adding the UK Government awaits a response from Israel.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, she said: “It’s extremely welcome news if there has been any progress in the peace negotiations and any step forward to disarming Hamas.
“Obviously, we will need to await the Israeli government’s response and its commitment to the ceasefire and a way forward and a withdrawal from Gaza, and to cease its activities of settler violence and taking action against such settler violence in the West Bank.
“But if progress has been made, then it’s extremely welcome news, because the suffering in Gaza and the wider region has been too extreme for far too long, and the human cost of the war has been absolutely obscene and intolerable.”
She added: “We’re awaiting the response from the Israeli government, so we’ll set out the details in due course of our wider government response.”
The US-backed Board of Peace announced on Friday that Hamas has agreed to a detailed roadmap for implementing the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire, including the decommissioning of its weapons and a transition to civilian governance.
The Board of Peace, together with mediators from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United States, said the agreement concludes months of negotiations aimed at advancing Trump’s vision for postwar Gaza under the Comprehensive Peace Plan and U.N. Security Council Resolution 2803.
According to the Board of Peace, the agreement marks the first time Hamas has formally committed to an actionable plan to relinquish all of its weapons, a process that a phased Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip would follow.
The organisation said the focus now shifts to implementation, with the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) expected to assume phased governing authority, backed by the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), while restoring security, the rule of law and humanitarian services.
Nickolay Mladenov, executive chairman of the Board of Peace, described the agreement as the result of months of difficult negotiations.
“What the agreement says matters. What happens next matters even more,” Mladenov wrote on X. “Implementation and verification have to be real. Withdrawal must move in lockstep with decommissioning.”
He thanked Trump for driving the negotiations, as well as the United States, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates for their roles in the talks.
“The Palestinian people need the political and practical backing to take charge of their own future,” Mladenov wrote, adding that the goal is “a Gaza rebuilt, governed by Palestinians and at peace with Israel.”
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