Hamas agrees to disarm under Trump-brokered Gaza deal with Israeli withdrawal
Hamas announced on Friday that it had agreed to a deal outlined by US President Donald Trump aimed at ending the war in Gaza, a plan that includes the group handing over its weapons to a Palestinian governing committee and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory, according to Africanews.
The agreement marks a significant shift for Hamas, the Islamist movement that has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007 and which led the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the current conflict. Israel responded to that assault with a sustained military campaign in Gaza that has caused widespread destruction across the coastal enclave and a severe humanitarian crisis, drawing repeated international calls for a ceasefire.
Under the terms reported, Hamas’s weapons would be transferred to a Palestinian governing committee, while Israeli forces would pull back from Gaza in stages. The framework reflects continued US mediation between Israel and Palestinian factions, an effort that has involved multiple rounds of negotiations facilitated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States since the war began.
Details of the implementation timeline, the composition of the proposed Palestinian governing committee and arrangements for Gaza’s post-war governance had not been fully disclosed at the time of the announcement. The plan’s viability is expected to depend on Israel’s response, the positions of other Palestinian factions, and international guarantees for reconstruction in a territory where most of the population has been displaced.
Sources
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