Gaza Conflict Sees New Hope as Hamas Agrees to Disarmament Under Trump's Peace Initiative

In a surprise move, Hamas announced its acceptance of a peace proposal by US President Donald Trump aimed at ending the long-standing conflict in Gaza. The plan involves the disarmament of Hamas, with the group handing over its arms to a Palestinian governing committee, alongside a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from the region. This development comes after months of intense negotiations, with President Trump hailing the agreement as a significant step towards establishing a new administration in Gaza. However, Israel has not officially responded to the announcement, with a political source indicating that the proposed framework does not fully meet Israel's demands for the complete demilitarization of the Gaza Strip. The source also revealed that the issue of Gaza was not discussed during the recent meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump in Washington. The surrender of weapons by Palestinian militant factions has been a major point of contention in efforts to implement a long-term resolution to the conflict. As part of the agreement, a committee established by Trump's Board of Peace will oversee the storage of Hamas's arms, with the group expecting international mediators and the Board of Peace to ensure Israel's compliance with its obligations, including a complete troop withdrawal. Ghazi Hamad, a member of the Hamas negotiating team, emphasized that the movement is making concessions for the sake of the people in Gaza, to save them from killing and displacement. Hamad stated, 'Israel will not intervene in the issue of disarmament. The National Committee is the body that will undertake this task.' Despite existing ceasefire protocols, sporadic violence has continued, with health officials reporting that Israeli strikes killed at least four people in Gaza on Thursday. The Board of Peace confirmed that Hamas has agreed to a detailed roadmap for implementing the next phases of the Gaza ceasefire, with the focus now shifting to implementation. The roadmap envisions the National Committee for Administration of Gaza assuming governance responsibilities in stages. President Trump noted that following disarmament, 'Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbours.' Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's high representative for Gaza, stressed that the agreement followed 'months of very difficult negotiations,' adding, 'What happens next matters even more. Implementation and verification have to be real. Withdrawal must move in lockstep with decommissioning.' Mediators from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States are set to convene in Cairo to discuss the second phase of the transition. A diplomatic source confirmed that the plan establishes 'a process for the elimination of all tunnels, depots of weapons and any weapons production facilities,' maintaining a strict policy of 'one authority, one law, one weapon.' Before the announcement, an Israeli political source reiterated Tel Aviv's firm position, stating, 'Israel demands the complete disarmament of Hamas, including the removal of weapons from Gaza and full demilitarisation of the Strip as a precondition for any process.'