Hamas has reportedly agreed to a deal to disarm its forces, in exchange for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Donald Trump – chair of the so-called ‘Board of Peace‘ (BoP) – announced the deal late on 30 July 2026. However, Israel has not yet confirmed its agreement to its side of the bargain.
Hamas has stated that it won’t carry out any stage of the disarmament unless Israel holds up its side of the deal by withdrawing. However, given that Israel has killed over 1,100 Palestinians since October’s ‘ceasefire’ began, any potential promise from the occupier could hardly be worth less.
Likewise, the motivations of the BoP are themselves deeply suspect. Trump has suggested that he intends to remain president of the group for life.
Other nations, many of which declined membership of the board, have suggested that the US-led body intends to circumvent international law. Still others have criticised Israel’s involvement in spite of the genocide charges levelled against it.
Trump’s pronouncement
On 30 July, Trump announced on his far-right US-centric Truth Social message board:
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.
This agreement is a critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people. At the same time, Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer used as a base for terror attacks.
He went on to add that the:
Agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases. As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilisation Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbours.
Under this agreement, Gaza will finally be in the hands of a new Palestinian government that serves its PEOPLE.
A US general will oversee the International Stabilization Force, which “commitments from a number of nations” for around 5,000 troops altogether, according to Al Jazeera.
The roadmap for Hamas
On 31 July, the BoP posted a list of the 15 key points of the roadmap to Twitter/X. It claimed that the plan would work towards three overarching commitments. First:
full acceptance of the international framework. Hamas and all the Palestinian factions confirm President Trump’s plan and Security Council Resolution 2803 (2025) as the agreed and guiding framework of the process.
That framework includes the demilitarisation of Hamas and the full transfer of power in Gaza to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG). The NCAG will consist of unelected technocrats overseen by the BoP, and ultimately by Trump.
a full monopoly on weapons and a complete Hamas relinquishment of any governmental involvement (military or civilian). The document establishes that Hamas and the other factions will not be involved in governance in any form, anchors the principle of “One Authority, One Law, One Weapon,”
That ‘One Authority’ principle holds that only the NCAG would have access to weapons within the Gaza Strip. And third:
a conditional and verified process. Progress between phases is neither automatic nor calendar-driven: every transition from phase to phase is conditioned on verified completion of the previous phase’s commitments, under the supervision of an International Verification Committee (IVC). The phased Israeli withdrawal is likewise anchored in the Comprehensive Plan — which ties it to verified progress of the decommissioning process — rather than to predetermined dates.
No alternative
To reiterate, Israel has not yet stated publicly that it has agreed to the deal. Likewise, since the beginning of the US-brokered ceasefire last October, Israel has continued to push its ‘yellow line’ deeper into Gaza, prevented international aid from entering the strip, and murdered Palestinians with impunity.
As such, any hope that Israel will keep its side of the bargain – if it does agree – is speculative at best. However, Gaza is in a dire state, and the current situation of the Palestinians who have thus far escaped Israel’s genocide is simply untenable.
Featured image via screengrab/screengrab
By Grace
