Trump Says Board of Peace Reached Agreement on Hamas Disarmament in Gaza
The Facts
- Trump announced on Truth Social on Thursday that the Board of Peace had reached an agreement for the "complete disarmament" of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza.
- Trump said the agreement would be carried out in "carefully structured phases," with Israeli forces withdrawing as disarmament is completed and an International Stabilization Force working with a new Palestinian police force on security in Gaza.
- Neither Israel nor Hamas commented publicly at the time of Trump's announcement, and it was not immediately clear whether either had signed off on the plan.
- Senior Hamas officials subsequently said via the BBC and AFP that the group had agreed to a plan addressing its weapons and providing for a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces, with an official statement expected.
- The announcement followed negotiations in Cairo between mediators and Hamas leaders; Trump thanked Egypt, Qatar and Turkey as mediators.
- Key questions remain unresolved, including whether Hamas disarms before or after an Israeli withdrawal; a Hamas representative characterized the text as a draft, and US officials said Israel was skeptical that Hamas would give up its weapons.
- Disarmament of Hamas and reconstruction of Gaza form the second phase of the US-brokered cease-fire, which had been stalled over implementation since the truce took effect roughly nine months earlier.
- The Board of Peace is an international body created by Trump earlier this year and chaired by him to oversee the Gaza cease-fire; infobae reported 27 states signed its founding charter, and rights advocates have criticized its structure.
Context
What is the Board of Peace?
It is an international organization Trump created earlier this year, initially aimed at resolving the war in Gaza, and established after the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was brokered last year NYT. Trump chairs it, and infobae reported that 27 sovereign states signed its founding charter BBC,infobae. Supporters describe it as a new approach to complex conflicts, while rights advocates have criticized what they call an imperial structure and argued it undermines the United Nations Hindustan Times.
What would disarmament actually involve?
The administration described a roadmap involving the progressive elimination of Hamas's military capabilities, the dismantling of tunnels and weapons stockpiles, and international supervision during the process infobae. Reporting from Cairo described a roadmap under which all heavy and light weapons in Gaza would be decommissioned, with remaining heavy weapons inventoried and stored under Palestinian supervision Aol,BBC. German reporting cited a 15-point roadmap and said Hamas signaled willingness to place weapons under the oversight of a Palestinian transitional administration in exchange for an Israeli troop withdrawal DIE WELT. Hamas has long treated giving up all its weapons as tantamount to surrender NYT.
What is the situation on the ground in Gaza?
On the same day as the Cairo talks, health officials said Israeli strikes killed at least three to four people, including two children, in Khan Younis and the Bureij refugee camp; the Israeli military said both strikes targeted Hamas militants Aol,Hindustan Times. Gaza health officials say more than 1,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed by Israeli attacks since the cease-fire took effect Aol. Israeli forces controlled about two-thirds of Gaza as of late April Hindustan Times.
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- The unresolved sequencing — whether weapons are surrendered before Israeli forces withdraw or after — is the hinge both framings treat as the thing that decides whether this holds.
- Where Left and Right split
- A peace declared by a body Trump created and chairs before the parties confirmed it, or locking in verified disarmament before Israel concedes ground.
How left and right read it
Nine months into a truce that stalled over implementation, the announcement of "complete disarmament" arrived on Truth Social before either Israel or Hamas said anything, from a body Trump created and chairs himself, and whose structure rights advocates have already faulted. The sequencing question — disarm first, or withdraw first — is still open. A draft, one Hamas representative called it. What counts is not who declares peace, but whether the Palestinians who survived that bombardment are finally safe.
“Will it finally secure a safe future for the millions of Palestinians in Gaza who survived a bombardment from Israel so heavy and unprecedented that, despite Israel protestations, a UN commission of inquiry has determined it constitutes genocide?” — The Independent
Trump announced Thursday that the Board of Peace he created and chairs had secured an agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and every other armed group in Gaza, in phases, with Israeli withdrawal tracking disarmament and an International Stabilization Force working alongside a new Palestinian police force. Egypt, Qatar and Turkey mediated in Cairo. Insist on the sequence: weapons surrendered first, verified, before any withdrawal is honored.
“President Trump announced Thursday that his Board of Peace has reached a "historic agreement" with Hamas that will result in the "complete disarmament" of the terror group in Gaza.” — New York Post
The receipts — 116 sources
Wire services (2)
Independent coverage (114)
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