Trump Has Announced That Hamas And Other Palestinian Factions Have Agreed To A Plan To Disarm
Trump called the agreement a “critical step” toward a new Palestinian administration governing Gaza.
US President Donald Trump has said that Hamas and other Palestinian groups have agreed to a plan to disarm in Gaza, calling it a “historic” step, but Israel has not agreed to the deal and Hamas said it will only disarm when Israel stops its attacks and pulls its forces out of Gaza.
On Thursday, July 30, Trump said his Board of Peace had reached an agreement for the “complete disarmament” of armed groups in Gaza, including Hamas.
Under the plan, weapons held by Gaza’s police would first be transferred to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a Palestinian technocratic body expected to govern the territory, according to AP.
Heavy weapons, tunnels and weapons-production sites would then be stored or dismantled after the committee and an international stabilization force enter Gaza.
The agreement says weapons cannot be handed to Israel or any non-Palestinian body, and the NCAG is meant to be the only body holding on to them.
The process would happen in phases alongside the withdrawal of Israeli forces, to eventually be replaced by an international stabilization force working alongside a new Palestinian police force.
A detailed roadmap is expected within 14 days, according to Al Jazeera, while officials said the full process could take between 200 and 350 days.
Trump called the agreement a “critical step” toward a new Palestinian administration governing Gaza.
Hamas official Ghazi Hamad told Reuters that the group would only begin storing its weapons after Israel stops its attacks, withdraws to the positions it held when the “ceasefire” began on Oct. 10 and allows more aid into Gaza.
However, Israel is not a signatory and has not officially responded to the agreement.
An Israeli official said Israel would not withdraw before Hamas disarms and Gaza is demilitarized.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad also said it has reservations about the wording of the agreement and disputed early reports describing it as a done deal.
Both sides are now demanding that the other act first, the same issue that has stalled previous negotiations.
Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
