Middle East — 2026-07-31

Trump Announces Historic Hamas Disarmament Agreement Under Board of Peace Gaza Plan

BLUFWashington's framework lacks confirmed buy-in from any required party, and the unresolved sequencing dispute over whether Israeli withdrawal precedes or follows disarmament leaves the 14-day finalization deadline without a plausible path.

President Trump announced Thursday on Truth Social that his Board of Peace had reached an agreement with Hamas for the "COMPLETE DISARMAMENT" of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, transferring civilian and security control to a new technocratic body, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, which would hold a monopoly on weapons in the Strip 123. Under the plan, Hamas's police weapons would be surrendered first, followed by decommissioning of heavy weapons, tunnels and factories, with Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza as disarmament milestones are verified; Al Jazeera reported the disarmament roadmap must be finalized within 14 days 14. A senior Hamas official, Ghazi Hamad, told Al Jazeera the group would not begin disarming until Israel withdraws, differing from Trump's description of a phased, reciprocal process 14. As of Thursday evening Hamas had not directly confirmed the deal, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad said reports of an agreement were "inaccurate," citing objections to the circulated wording 24. Israeli Defense Minister Gideon Sa'ar publicly responded with skepticism, calling Hamas's move to dissolve its government a "trick" and warning that any civilian government would operate under Hamas's control as long as it retains weapons 3.

Analysis
Trump's announcement establishes a negotiating framework, not an operational fact, and sourcing rests on a single primary account, his Truth Social post, amplified by outlets drawing on the same US and Board of Peace briefing rather than independent reporting lines. Disarmament sequencing remains contested: Washington describes a phased, reciprocal process, but Hamad has conditioned any weapons handover on prior Israeli withdrawal, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad's denial alongside Israel's public skepticism show the deal currently lacks buy-in from two of the three parties required to execute it. Low confidence attaches to the deal's progression given the absence of independent confirmation from any required party, and the announcement may function primarily as a credit-claiming messaging move on terms neither Hamas nor Israel has confirmed. The first observable test is the 14-day deadline for finalizing the roadmap, not the 200-250 day demilitarization timeline itself.

5 sources