Hamas agrees to disarm as Trump claims breakthrough on Gaza war

Hamas says it has agreed to disarm under a deal involving Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. Trump called it a breakthrough, though implementation could face major delays and resistance.Stock photo used for illustrationHamas said on Friday that it had reached an agreement to disarm, a move that could help end the war in Gaza but is likely to face many hurdles and could take a long time, if it happens at all. Israel did not comment on the deal, which President Donald Trump announced hours earlier. Trump said at a Cabinet meeting that the agreement, aimed at the disarmament of Hamas, Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and the transfer of oversight of the territory to a civilian body, would have 'ups and downs' but called it a 'great breakthrough'.At the same meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, Trump spoke on Ukraine, Iran, migration and other issues before ending the public part of the session and asking the press to leave. It was the first Cabinet meeting at Camp David in his second term after an earlier attempt in May was called off because of bad weather. He gave a long opening statement, heard from senior officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and answered questions on Iran and other topics before the rest of the meeting continued behind closed doors.On Gaza, Trump said the agreement had been helped by the US and Israel's war with Iran, which he described as Hamas' main backer. 'Nobody's ever thought that would be possible to disarm Hamas,' he said. 'That shows you how much success we're having with Iran, because if you go four months ago or five months ago, a deal like that would have been impossible.' The development came nine months after a US-brokered ceasefire to end the fighting between Israel and Hamas was signed.On Ukraine, Trump stepped back from his earlier statement that Kyiv would be allowed to make Patriot air defence interceptors. Asked about his earlier commitment, he said, 'We have not agreed to that.' He added, 'We're talking about it. But it's a hard thing to give away that kind of technology.' Trump also said, 'I don't think this would ever happen, but you know there's people that, you give that technology, they can someday turn on you,' adding that the US had to be 'very careful'. He said he discussed the issue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when they met in Washington on Tuesday. Zelenskyy also met senators to argue why Ukraine needs the interceptors. Trump also said the anti-weaponisation fund was 'dead' after having defended the USD 1.8 billion fund earlier in the day on social media. 'But I wish it weren't, to be honest with you,' he said. He defended people who could benefit from the fund, mainly those involved in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, saying, 'Their families have been ruined,' and that they 'wanted to go to a rally or an event and ended up spending the rest of their lives in horror'. He also said Blanche, his attorney general pick, had been a 'pawn in this whole thing'.On Iran, Trump said military action was likely to continue for some time, despite his earlier insistence that Iran had been 'completely defeated' militarily. 'We'll be hitting them very hard,' he said. 'You know, at some point they're going to say, We just can't take it anymore.' Trump also welcomed Jay Clayton, confirmed earlier in the week as the new director of national intelligence, to his first formal Cabinet meeting and said, 'He's had a big victory.' Of Clayton, a former federal prosecutor and former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Trump said, 'His whole life has been about doing a fantastic job.' Rubio also criticised the International Criminal Court, saying the Hague-based court had been arrogant and had unfairly targeted leaders around the world. Trump then said, 'There's no indication they're after me. It could happen,' a remark that drew laughter from Cabinet members. He said Rubio was not defending him personally but was trying to protect others who had been targeted, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump repeated, 'There is no indication that I'm one of them, at this moment,' again drawing laughter. On migration, he pointed to Spain, where about 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta in the past 24 hours and about half later returned voluntarily, according to the Spanish government. Trump said, 'It looks like an invasion of a country by hundreds of thousands of people,' and added, 'that same thing is going to happen to us if the Republicans don't get elected. Except worse, much bigger.' He also blamed Spain's left-wing government under Pedro Sanchez, saying the country's 'weak law, bad management' was responsible. Overall, the meeting ranged from the Gaza disarmament announcement to US policy on Ukraine, Iran, the ICC and migration before the public session came to an end.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 1, 2026 00:24 IST