Hamas agrees to disarm
Hamas, a Palestinian militant organization, has accepted a proposed disarmament plan that would see it give up all of its heavy weapons in the Gaza Strip. The decision has been labeled by U.S. President Donald Trump as a "monumental step toward lasting peace and security," signaling a critical shift in efforts to end the ongoing conflict. Hamas claims the move was reached through "responsible and positive" negotiations that secured a "national consensus" among key Palestinian factions.
A four-page blueprint reviewed by BBC World details how Hamas will handle its heavy weapons, including rockets, by cataloging and storing them under the authority of a newly established Palestinian National Committee. This committee will supervise not just Hamas, but all major Palestinian groups involved in the disarmament process.
The plan also includes steps to locate and destroy underground tunnels and weapon-making facilities, which Hamas has long used to conduct operations. These efforts will be accompanied by mapping the locations of all such sites, ensuring transparency and accountability.
Conditions and international oversight
The process for handling leftover weapons is designed in stages. These weapons will be gradually handed over to a new Palestinian police force, which will operate under the watchful eye of the International Stabilisation Force. This force is expected to include up to 200 soldiers from countries Israel considers allies, a measure recently approved by the Israeli government.
Hamas has also pushed for the disarmament and disbanding of pro-Israeli militant groups in Gaza. The Palestinian National Committee, set to take over from Hamas, has not yet deployed into Gaza and continues to operate from Cairo. In the meantime, hundreds of police recruits have completed training in Jordan and Egypt, preparing for their eventual role in the region.
Israeli skepticism and territorial tensions
Despite Hamas's agreement, Israel remains deeply doubtful about whether the group will follow through on its promises. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has openly rejected the plan, calling it "not acceptable" to Israel. Israeli officials have emphasized that no troops will withdraw from the Yellow Line, a border marking the territory Israel controls, until Hamas has fully disarmed.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that Israel now controls more than 60 percent of Gaza, surpassing the 53 percent outlined in the previous October ceasefire agreement. This expansion has been physically marked by moving yellow concrete blocks westward, a change recently confirmed in BBC reports.
An annex of the plan seen by the BBC specifies that Israeli forces must pull back to the Yellow Line within 24 hours once the Israeli government gives its approval. It adds that Israel should stay out of that area as long as Hamas continues to comply with the disarmament agreement.
The document also links Hamas' disarmament process directly to a gradual Israeli withdrawal, ensuring that no weapons are handed over to Israel or any other non-Palestinian entity. This has raised questions about how exactly the transfer of arms will be managed and whether all parties can be trusted to honor the deal.
Hamas has stressed that it will only give up its heavy weapons after Israel ceases all military actions and withdraws its forces from Gaza. The group views Israel's ongoing attacks as a "fundamental prerequisite" to moving forward with the deal, highlighting the delicate balance of conditions and mutual trust required for this plan to succeed.
Despite the progress outlined in these documents, major challenges remain. The lack of clarity around the mechanism for weapon handovers, the uncertain timeline for the Palestinian National Committee's arrival in Gaza, and Israel's insistence on maintaining control of large portions of the territory all raise doubts about the feasibility of the plan. Still, the steps taken by Hamas mark a potentially historic development in the ongoing conflict.
Hamas recently announced that it had dissolved its own government in the Gaza Strip, signaling a shift in power to the Palestinian National Committee. This move is part of the broader ceasefire agreement and reflects a significant change in governance dynamics in the region.
The agreement was announced late on Thursday by US President Donald Trump, after the US-led Board of Peace and International Stabilization Force for Gaza announced that mediators from Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye and the US had finalised a roadmap for this next phase of the ceasefire. Egypt is expected to host representatives from the US, Qatar and Turkiye for further talks aimed at ensuring compliance during this second phase. But Israel has not publicly agreed to the latest proposal and Hamas has said it will not implement any part of the deal unless Israeli forces fulfil their own obligations to withdraw from Gaza under the agreement. The announcement comes against a backdrop of deep Palestinian distrust of Israel due to its failure to adhere to previous agreements. Since the US-brokered ceasefire supposedly came into effect on October 10, 2025, Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,100 Palestinians. Israel has also continued to restrict humanitarian aid from entering Gaza and expanded its so-called “Yellow Line” further into the Strip, which experts say may violate the pre-existing ceasefire arrangement underpinned by an initial 20-point peace plan announced by Trump last year. Questions remain over whether all Palestinian armed groups apart from Hamas would adhere to the agreement and whether Israeli forces would fully withdraw from Gaza. With Palestinians continuing to suffer daily Israeli attacks, repeated displacement and severe shortages of food, medicine and shelter, the announcement has been met with both hope and scepticism. Here is what we know. What has been announced? “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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social late on Thursday. “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.” Trump said the agreement would be implemented in stages, with Israeli forces withdrawing as the disarmament process advances. “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,” he wrote. “Under this agreement, Gaza will finally be in the hands of a new Palestinian government that serves its PEOPLE.” The Board of Peace later released a joint statement with the mediating countries. Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas’s negotiating delegation, told Al Jazeera that the group’s implementation of the agreement will be dependent on Israel fulfilling its commitments. “Hamas will not implement any step of the Gaza peace deal if the Israeli occupation forces do not fulfil their obligations under the agreement,” he said. “Israel will not interfere in the disarmament issue and the national committee is the one that will carry out this task.” Israel has not commented on the agreement. How would disarmament work? Here’s what the plan outlines: - A schedule for an inventory of Hamas’s weapons must be prepared within 14 days, with extensions permitted only if agreed by an international verification commission and all parties involved. - A Palestinian National Committee will oversee and execute the inventory and storage process and will be the sole entity to hold, store or control weapons in Gaza, with participation from Palestinian factions. - No weapons will be transferred or handed over to Israel or any other non-Palestinian parties. - An international verification commission, an International Stabilization Force, and a new Palestinian police force will oversee disarmament as Israeli troops incrementally withdraw to designated lines in step with verification progress. - The inventory and storage will initially target heavy weaponry, military production sites, weapons depots and the extensive tunnel network. - The process is contingent
