Trump Announces Hamas Disarmament Deal for Gaza — But Israel and a Key Militant Group Haven’t Signed On
President Donald Trump announced late Thursday, July 30, that his administration’s “Board of Peace” had reached what he called a historic agreement for Hamas to fully disarm in Gaza. The announcement was met with immediate caveats: Israel’s government had not publicly responded by Friday, and a second Palestinian militant group disputed that any final deal was in place.
What Trump Announced
Posting on Truth Social Thursday evening, Trump said the Board of Peace had reached what he described as a historic agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza, calling it a major step toward lasting peace and security. He said the process would unfold in phases: as armed groups hand over weapons, Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza, and an International Stabilization Force would work alongside a newly formed Palestinian police force to take over security responsibilities.
Trump added that Gaza would ultimately be governed by a new Palestinian administration working in coordination with the Board of Peace, though he did not name who would lead that government or detail the makeup of the International Stabilization Force. He credited Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey for their roles as mediators, along with his own negotiating team, and vowed that the threat that produced the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel would not be allowed to rebuild.
The Fine Print: A Conditions-Based Deal
According to a copy of the agreement obtained by Al Jazeera, the document requires a precise disarmament roadmap to be finalized within 14 days, with the possibility of extensions if approved by an international verification body and all parties involved.
U.S. and Board of Peace officials described the agreement to CNN as the product of months of what one senior official called “very delicate negotiations,” resulting in a breakthrough where the parties understand what needs to happen next — but they were careful to characterize it as a conditions-based deal, not a finished one. A senior Board of Peace official told the Jerusalem Post that Hamas had extensive reservations, and that it took months of negotiation to reach the current breakthrough.
Behind the scenes, Axios reported that Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey applied intense pressure on Hamas to accept the terms. Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, who has a close relationship with Hamas political leader Khalil al-Hayya, reportedly played a central role in hosting the talks in Cairo.
Why Hamas Hesitated
Officials briefed on the talks told the Washington Times that Hamas had been reluctant to decommission its weapons and destroy its tunnel network, largely out of concern that Israel would not follow through on its own commitments once disarmament began. That reluctance shaped an eight-month process to convert Trump’s original 20-point peace framework into a workable disarmament roadmap.
Earlier in the month, Hamas had already announced it would dissolve its governing structure in Gaza — a move analysts said increased pressure on Israel to reciprocate as the broader ceasefire process had stalled.
Not Everyone Is on Board Yet
Two significant gaps remain in the picture painted by Trump’s announcement.
First, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government had not issued a public response as of Friday morning, according to both UPI and CNN. Given that Israel’s troop withdrawal is contingent on disarmament actually happening, Israeli buy-in is essential for the deal to move forward.
Second, Palestinian Islamic Jihad — another armed faction in Gaza that was party to the underlying ceasefire — pushed back directly, telling reporters early Friday that reports characterizing the agreement as finalized were inaccurate.
There is also broader regional skepticism about whether Hamas will ultimately follow through. One Board of Peace official told CNN that if the group’s weapons are actually gathered and handed over and a transitional authority takes control, it would reopen a genuine political path for Palestinians — but that “if” is doing a lot of work in a region that has seen previous ceasefire frameworks falter.
The Regional Backdrop
The disarmament announcement landed amid a wider spike in Middle East tensions. The United States and Iran have been engaged in a separate conflict over control of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program, with fighting reportedly widening to involve Saudi Arabia and Egyptian ports in recent days. Trump himself said American forces stationed in Jordan had only minutes to intercept incoming Iranian ballistic missiles during a surprise attack, which U.S. Central Command said were all shot down. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with Netanyahu in Washington this week as tensions escalated.
Separately, Saudi Arabia has been preparing for a possible ground offensive against Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, according to Fox News reporting — another sign of how interconnected the region’s conflicts have become even as the Gaza track shows movement.
The Gaza announcement also came two days after Trump met with Netanyahu at the White House, and roughly nine months after the original Sharm El-Sheikh peace summit in Egypt in October 2025, where the first phase of the broader Gaza peace plan was formally launched.
What Happens Next
Under the terms described by officials, Egypt is expected to host additional talks in Cairo involving mediators from Egypt, the U.S., Qatar, and Turkey to nail down commitments to the next phase of the ceasefire roadmap, including deployment of international forces. U.S. officials told Axios they expect implementation to begin within weeks, though the 14-day window for finalizing the actual disarmament roadmap will be an early test of whether the agreement holds.
FAQ
Has Hamas agreed to fully disarm in Gaza? Trump and Board of Peace officials say Hamas and other Palestinian factions have approved a framework document requiring disarmament, but the precise roadmap still needs to be finalized within 14 days, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad disputes that a final deal is in place.
Has Israel agreed to the deal? As of Friday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government had not publicly responded to the announcement, even though Israel’s planned troop withdrawal from Gaza is contingent on disarmament proceeding.
What is the Board of Peace? It’s a multi-nation body established as part of Trump’s broader Middle East peace framework, tasked with helping resolve global conflicts — in this case overseeing the Gaza disarmament and reconstruction process.
Who mediated the disarmament agreement? Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey mediated the talks with Hamas, which took place primarily in Cairo, with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad playing a central role.
What happens to Gaza’s government under the deal? Trump says Gaza will ultimately be governed by a new, technocratic Palestinian government working with the Board of Peace, replacing Hamas’s governing structure, though the composition of that government hasn’t been announced.
Conclusion
Thursday’s announcement is a genuine milestone — it’s the first time Hamas has agreed, at least on paper, to a framework for disarming since the war began in 2023. But the gap between “framework agreed” and “weapons handed over” has swallowed previous rounds of Gaza diplomacy, and this one still has an unanswered Israeli government, a dissenting militant faction, and a 14-day countdown before the real test begins. The coming weeks — and whether Cairo’s follow-up talks produce a workable security handoff — will determine whether this becomes the breakthrough Trump described or another stalled step in a long process.
Sources: The Washington Times, Al Jazeera, Türkiye Today, The Jerusalem Post, UPI, Fox News, CNN, Axios (reporting dated July 30, 2026).