The pact, which the terrorist group has yet to confirm accepting, “is a critical step toward Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government,” the U.S. president and Board of Peace chair said.
(July 30, 2026 / JNS)
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the Board of Peace, which he chairs, reached an agreement with Hamas for the complete disarmament of the terrorist groups that rule and control the Gaza Strip.
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, as the Israel Defense Forces withdraws as disarmament progresses, according to Trump.
An International Stabilization 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.
“This agreement is a critical step toward 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. “At the same time, Israel will have the security it deserves.”
Israel has not commented officially on the development, although officials have said that they are skeptical that Hamas will follow through.
Hamas has not commented, though two senior officials confirmed the deal anonymously to AFP.
A U.S. official said that Iran tried unsuccessfully to persuade Hamas not to agree to the deal.
Officials on a call with reporters following Trump’s post acknowledged that there is no trust between Israel and Hamas. The proposal is based on “zero trust” but “with every step verified,” they said.
An official involved in negotiations said that the disarmament process would take place over a matter of weeks, but urged reporters not to get hung up on timelines.
“Implementing the agreement will take time,” an official said, decrying nonprofits and terrorists in the enclave that set up a system “for people to profit from the misery.”
Once disarmament is completed, “the technocratic government will have a monopoly on weapons in the Gaza Strip,” an official said.
Negotiations seemingly hit a dead end several times after an October ceasefire that followed two years of war on the heels of the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks.
A U.S. official expressed confidence that Israel would fulfill its obligations under the peace plan, as Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups transfer responsibility for civil and security matters to the technocratic transitional government formed under the Board of Peace.
Board of Peace announces roadmap
The U.S.-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 organization 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 Stabilization 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.”
The announcement came after Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir rejected reports of an emerging agreement with Hamas.
“Destroying Hamas and encouraging the emigration of Palestinians is the only solution in Gaza that Israel is prepared to be a partner in,” Ben-Gvir said on Thursday, insisting Israel should not sign any agreement with the terrorist organization through mediators.
A diplomatic source familiar with the Cairo negotiations told JNS on Thursday that Hamas would have “no role in governing Gaza, either openly or behind the scenes,” with the NCAG assuming full authority under the principle of “one authority, one law and one weapon.”
The source said the implementation roadmap calls for the decommissioning of all heavy and light weapons, the elimination of tunnels, weapons depots and weapons production facilities, with each phase independently verified before reciprocal steps are taken.
A second Israeli source told JNS that Israel continues to insist on Hamas’s complete disarmament and the full demilitarization of Gaza as a precondition for any broader political process.
“There will be no Israeli withdrawal from the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip before Hamas disarms and demilitarizes,” the source said, adding that Jerusalem had conveyed objections to aspects of the proposed roadmap to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who serves on the executive board of the Board of Peace.
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