US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the Board of Peace has reached an agreement for the ‘complete disarmament’ of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, according to BBC reports. It was unclear whether Hamas and Israel were part of the agreement — Neither party has commented on the announcement.

Agreement as a Step Toward Palestinian Governance

Trump said Israel would withdraw from Gaza ‘as disarmament is completed.’ He called the agreement ‘a critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government.’ The second phase of a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire plan includes the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza.

Phased Implementation and Security Measures

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: ‘This is a major milestone in the implementation of the Trump 20-Point Plan — the agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases. As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors.’

He also thanked mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey for their role in the talks; Cairo would host a Gaza mediator meeting on the second phase of the ceasefire plan, Agence France-Presse reported, citing Egyptian state media.

Progress and Israeli Skepticism

Earlier in the day, unnamed sources who spoke to Reuters reported that talks between the mediators and Hamas leaders in Cairo on implementing the US-brokered Gaza peace plan had made rare progress. However, an Israeli official said the proposed terms were not satisfactory. Following Trump’s announcement, the Times of Israel reported, citing an unnamed source, that the agreement had been signed between negotiators from Hamas as well as the board and mediating countries.

But it said that ‘an Israeli office’ issued a statement saying the disarmament proposal did not meet Jerusalem’s demands; Earlier in the day, Israeli media reported that Israel was opposed to a deal that was being discussed with Hamas.

In April this year, Hamas rejected the disarmament plan of a top figure in Trump’s Gaza peace efforts, a senior Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told the BBC. Earlier this month, Hamas elected a new leader, Khalil al-Hayya, and he replaced Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by the Israeli military in Gaza in October 2024. As the chief negotiator for Hamas, Hayya led the group’s delegations at indirect ceasefire talks, meeting mediators in Egypt and Qatar.

The BBC reported earlier this year that the board was originally thought to be aimed at helping end the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and oversee reconstruction. But its proposed charter does not mention the Palestinian territory and appears to be designed to supplant functions of the UN.

Hamas led an attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage. Israel responded by launching a massive military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 73,290 people have been killed, including 21,280 children, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

Trump framed the disarmament – which he said would take place in phases – as part of the ceasefire deal he brokered in October to end Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and devastated the Palestinian enclave. Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire agreement, killing more than 1,200 Palestinians, seizing more territory, and continuing to restrict the movement of people and goods into and out of Gaza. Six more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza on Thursday, including two children.

Trump said that Israel would withdraw from Gaza and be replaced by an International Stabilisation Force working with a ‘new Palestinian police force’ once disarmament was complete. ‘Under this agreement, Gaza will finally be in the hands of a new Palestinian government that serves its PEOPLE,’ Trump added.

Hamas leaders have been in the Egyptian capital Cairo since late last week discussing the ceasefire deal with mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkiye. An unnamed Hamas official was quoted earlier on Thursday as saying that the talks were ‘positive’ and ‘making progress.’ Hamas had announced on July 6 the dissolution of the body it led that had governed Gaza for nearly two decades.