On Friday, July 31st, 2026, Hamas announced it had agreed to a deal involving the handover of its weapons to a Palestinian governing committee and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. This agreement is part of a US-backed roadmap aimed at implementing the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan brokered by US President Donald Trump.

Trump hailed the agreement as a "major milestone" for Hamas's "complete disarmament." However, Israel has yet to officially comment on the announcement. A political source told AFP that "there will be no withdrawal whatsoever" from Israeli forces' current positions "unless Hamas undergoes a genuine disarmament." Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir criticized the deal, calling it "unacceptable" and "tantamount to agreeing to Hamas organising for the next massacre."

The weapons held by Hamas have been a key obstacle to fully implementing the ceasefire, which has been in place since October. The Israeli source also noted that the issue of Gaza did not arise during a recent meeting between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington.

Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas's negotiating team, stated the movement was making "concessions for the sake of our people in the Gaza Strip." He referred to the National Committee for Administration of Gaza (NCAG), established under Trump's plan to manage day-to-day governance in Gaza, as the body responsible for overseeing the disarmament process.

Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's high representative for Gaza, commented that the deal "took months of very difficult negotiations."

Sources