Hamas and several other Palestinian armed factions have agreed to a plan outlining how their weapons would be catalogued, stored and eventually transferred to a new Palestinian governing authority in Gaza, a development President Donald Trump called “a monumental step” toward peace and regional security.
The agreement, reached Thursday and reported by Al Jazeera, calls for negotiators to produce a detailed roadmap within 14 days. That deadline could be extended with the approval of an international verification body and the consent of the parties.
“These negotiations were difficult and hard, and we tried to reach the best possible formula that was achievable,” Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas’s negotiating team, told Al Jazeera.
Hamad said Hamas would not carry out its obligations unless Israel also fulfilled its commitments. He tied the weapons process to an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and progress toward rebuilding the territory.
Israel has not publicly commented on the agreement.
Trump portrayed the deal as a major achievement for the Board of Peace, the international body established to oversee Gaza’s postwar administration.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “At the same time, Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer used as a base for terror attacks.”
Under the agreement, the process would begin after a Palestinian National Committee and an International Stabilisation Force enter Gaza. The National Committee would oversee the “inventory and storage” of weapons under the supervision of an international verification committee that would include representatives of the Palestinian factions.
The agreement also links the weapons transfer to a phased Israeli military withdrawal. Arms would not be surrendered to Israel or another non-Palestinian entity. Instead, they would be placed under the sole control of the National Committee.
A Board of Peace official said Hamas and the other factions would first transfer police weapons, followed by heavy weapons. Military activity in Gaza would be required to end, although the official acknowledged that completing the process would take time.
Trump said the phased plan was part of the ceasefire arrangement he helped negotiate in October to halt the war in Gaza. He said Israeli troops would eventually withdraw and be replaced by an International Stabilization Force working alongside a “new Palestinian police force.”
“Under this agreement, Gaza will finally be in the hands of a new Palestinian government that serves its PEOPLE,” Trump added.
The ceasefire has remained fragile. Palestinian officials accuse Israel of repeatedly violating the agreement, killing more than 1,200 Palestinians since it took effect, expanding the territory under its control and restricting the movement of people and goods. Israeli attacks on Thursday killed six Palestinians, including two children, according to authorities in Gaza.
Hamas leaders have been meeting in Cairo since late last week with mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. An unnamed Hamas official earlier described the talks as “positive” and said they were progressing.
