On 30 July 2026, President Donald Trump announced via social media that his Board of Peace — an international body established to oversee the Gaza ceasefire — had reached what he called a historic agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza. Trump described it as "a monumental step toward lasting peace and security." The Guardian reported that neither Hamas nor Israel issued an immediate statement confirming they had accepted the deal.
The announcement came nine months after a US-brokered ceasefire was signed between Israel and Hamas, ending the war that began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in 251 taken hostage. Negotiations had since deadlocked, primarily over the implementation of a second phase requiring Hamas's disarmament and the reconstruction of Gaza.
An Israeli official stated that the proposed terms did not provide a satisfactory response to Israel's core demands — the removal of all weapons from Gaza and full demilitarisation of the territory — and that Israel had formally conveyed its objections. Meanwhile, a Hamas official indicated the group was approaching mediators with a positive and good response but stopped short of confirming agreement to full disarmament.
The agreement was brokered by the Board of Peace with Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey serving as international mediators, Fox News reported.
Trump's 20-point plan envisions a phased process. Hamas would surrender its weapons and destroy its tunnel network. Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza. A new technocratic Palestinian administration — the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) — would assume authority under the principle of "one authority, one law, one weapon." An international stabilisation force would then deploy, and reconstruction would follow. US News reported the full scope of the proposed framework.
The phasing of disarmament is itself a source of ambiguity. Under the roadmap discussed in Cairo, the Gaza police force would hand over weapons to the NCAG-backed administration within two weeks. However, the police force does not include the vast majority of Hamas militants. The surrender of heavy weapons and the decommissioning of Hamas's tunnel infrastructure are expected to occur later in a process that could take between 200 and 350 days, Newsday reported.
Hamas's historical position has complicated such proposals. The group has long insisted on completing the first phase of any ceasefire before discussing its weapons, and its founding charter calls for armed resistance against Israel. Its arsenal is reported to include rockets, anti-tank missiles, and explosives. Earlier in July 2026, however, Hamas announced it had dissolved its governing administration in Gaza and was preparing to transfer power to a technical committee backed by the United Nations — a notable, if partial, shift in posture.
A diplomat described the framework under discussion in Cairo as built on reciprocal steps rather than trust, with authority transferred in stages to the NCAG and the elimination of tunnels, arms stockpiles, and weapons production facilities as parallel obligations.
Iran, a longstanding Hamas sponsor, has counselled Hamas members against accepting any such deal. It is described, however, as limited in its capacity to offer meaningful support, preoccupied as it is with its own conflict with the United States.
On the Israeli side, the military has continued to expand its occupation of Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israel intends to extend the territory under its control to 70 per cent of Gaza. Whether Israeli forces would withdraw under the proposed terms — and on what schedule — remains unresolved.
The planned International Stabilisation Force faces its own uncertainties. It is not yet clear how many troops would be made available, or by which countries, The Guardian noted.
The Board of Peace had first presented Hamas with a comprehensive disarmament plan in March 2026. At that time, Israel had agreed in principle to a phased approach under US influence, but Hamas had not indicated willingness to accept full disarmament. The July announcement represents an acceleration of that process, though the distance between a presidential declaration and a binding, verified agreement remains, on the available evidence, considerable.
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