Trump Announces Hamas Disarmament Agreement

Hamas said implementation of the agreement to end the war in the Gaza Strip, announced on Thursday by US President Donald Trump, depends on Israel first fulfilling its obligations under the framework agreed last year in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh.

Hamas official Ghazi Hamad, who is taking part in the negotiations, said the proposal is a comprehensive framework that extends beyond the issue of disarmament. According to him, Israel must first halt its military operations in the Gaza Strip, withdraw its forces to the positions they held in October and increase the flow of humanitarian aid and other goods into the enclave.

Only then would Hamas hand over its weapons to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a technocratic body established to govern the Palestinian territory.

On Thursday, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that his Peace Council had reached an agreement on the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups, describing it as a major step toward ending the war.

An Israeli official, however, said Israel would not withdraw its forces behind the so called Yellow Line until Hamas has been disarmed and the Gaza Strip has been demilitarized.

(Reuters, Lud)