The Palestinian Islamist movement says it accepts a ceasefire roadmap that includes handing over its weapons to a Palestinian governing committee and a staged Israeli pullout from Gaza, while Israel remains unconvinced the proposal meets its security demands.
Hamas announced on Friday that it had agreed to a deal unveiled by President Trump, under which its weapons would be placed under the control of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a Palestinian body backed by Trump’s Board of Peace. The agreement is tied to a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces and the deployment of an International Stabilization Force alongside a new Palestinian police force to secure the territory.
A senior Israeli political source told AFP that the draft did not “satisfactorily” address Israel’s demand for full demilitarisation of Gaza, insisting on the “complete disarmament of Hamas, including the removal of weapons from Gaza and full demilitarisation of the Strip” as a precondition for any process. The source also said Gaza was not raised in this week’s meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump in Washington, underlining Israeli scepticism.
Hamas negotiator Ghazi Hamad said the movement was making “concessions for the sake of our people in the Gaza Strip, to save them from killing and displacement,” and stressed that disarmament would be overseen by the NCAG, not Israel. He added that Hamas expects mediators and the Board of Peace to ensure Israel complies with its side of the deal, particularly troop withdrawal and an end to airstrikes.
The Board of Peace said Hamas had agreed to a “detailed roadmap” for the next phases of the Gaza ceasefire, describing it as a “historic breakthrough” and pledging that withdrawal would move “in lockstep with decommissioning” of weapons, tunnels and arms depots. High representative Nickolay Mladenov warned that implementation and verification “have to be real,” with no exceptions for certain weapons or individuals and “one authority, one law, one weapon.
Trump’s 20‑point plan envisions the elimination of all tunnels and weapons production facilities, a phased transition of authority to a technocratic Palestinian government, and extensive international oversight. But with continued Israeli strikes in Gaza despite an October ceasefire, and Hamas insisting that the roadmap is contingent on Israel honouring its obligations, the deal’s success will depend on whether both sides accept and implement the proposed disarmament and withdrawal steps.
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How family support helped me through scandals, grief – Davido
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