Trump announces deal for 'complete disarmament’ of Hamas

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday (July 30, 2026) announced an agreement for the "complete disarmament" of Hamas, calling it a critical step toward a new Palestinian government in Gaza.Latest world news updatesThe White House announcement comes nine months after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire was signed. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas had largely deadlocked over the implementation of its second phase, including the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza.Mr. Trump's announcement also came after sources familiar with the ongoing talks with mediators in Cairo said that the Palestinian Islamist movement was progressing towards a deal involving the decommissioning of its weapons."Today, the Board of Peace reached a HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza. This is a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY," Mr. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, saying disarmament would take place in "carefully structured phases.""As disarmament is completed, 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," he added, also thanking mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey.The thorny issue of Hamas's disarmament has been one of the key sticking points in the advancement of the ceasefire deal that has been in place between Israel and the group in Gaza since October.Despite the ceasefire, violence has continued in Gaza, with Israeli strikes killing at least four people, including two children on Thursday (July 30, 2026), according to health officials.Cairo is set to host a meeting "soon" of the Gaza truce mediators, which also include the United States, Qatar and Turkey, state-linked Al-Qahera News reported early Friday (Juy 24, 2026) in Egypt.The news outlet did not specify when the meeting would take place, but said that it would discuss implementing the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan, a roadmap for which Hamas and Palestinian factions have agreed to.Under Mr. Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza, the second phase of the ceasefire was to involve Hamas's disarmament and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory.The plan also provides for a group of Palestinian technocrats, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), to assume day-to-day governance during Gaza's transitional phase out of war.Hamas officials say deal agreed on group’s arms, gradual Israel withdrawal from GazaSenior Hamas officials said the deal to end the war with Israel includes provisions addressing the group’s weapons and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.“An agreement has been reached regarding the issue of weapons... Furthermore, an agreement has been reached on a gradual withdrawal of (Israeli forces)” from the strip, a Hamas official said, adding that the Islamist movement now expects the mediators and the Board of Peace to ensure that Israel complies with the terms of the deal.Ghazi Hamad, a member of the group’s negotiating team, said the movement was making “concessions for the sake of our people in the Gaza Strip, to save them from killing and displacement”. He said the issue of weapons is tied to Israel’s withdrawal, the deployment of the National Committee and reconstruction work in the territory.“Israel will not intervene in the issue of disarmament. The National Committee is the body that will undertake this task,” he said.'No exceptions'Earlier, a diplomatic source told AFP: "We continue to advance the implementation roadmap that offers a balanced and pragmatic path forward, with all weapons decommissioned and a phased transition of responsibilities taking place to hand over full authority to the technocratic government."The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter, said there would be "no exceptions for certain weapons or certain people. One authority, one law, one weapon".The roadmap, the source said, would create "a process for the elimination of all tunnels, depots of weapons and any weapons production facilities"."All weapons, heavy and light, will be under full control of the NCAG in coordination with and with the support of the ISF," the source added, referring to the International Stabilisation Force, a fledgling body envisaged to comprise multinational troops operating under Mr. Trump's Board of Peace.The source said a verification mechanism would ensure compliance by each side.A Hamas source familiar with the talks had said earlier that the movement is "awaiting the Israeli response to the amendments we recently submitted to the mediators".Regarding the article concerning weapons, the Hamas source said that "some points were removed, and alternatives were proposed".Deal does not ‘satisfactorily’ address Israeli demands: sourceAn Israeli political source said that the proposed deal does not "satisfactorily" address Israeli demands."Israel demands the complete disarmament of Hamas, including the removal of weapons from Gaza and full demilitarization of the Strip as a precondition for any process," the source said.The source also said that "the issue of Gaza did not come up at all" in the meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Mr. Trump in Washington this week.Israel’s UN Mission said it had no immediate comment.The official added that Hamas sponsor Iran remains a wildcard in the equation because although it counselled Hamas members not to accept a deal, it is also not in a position to offer the group much support because it is preoccupied with the conflict with the United States.The war in Gaza began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, including those killed since the ceasefire, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.Israel’s military now controls more than half of Gaza, leaving Palestinians confined to squalid tent camps and heavily damaged urban neighbourhoods.With AFP, AP inputs