Trump claims ‘agreement’ reached for Hamas disarmament as officials stress terms not final
President Donald Trump announced Thursday what U.S. and Board of Peace officials described as a pathway to a potential agreement that would disarm Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza.
“Today, the Board of Peace reached a HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza,” Trump said on Truth Social. “This is a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY.”
But U.S. and Board of Peace officials, speaking to reporters on a call Thursday night, said the proposal outlines a “roadmap” and not a finalized agreement. Officials said the proposed framework describes a path to a lofty goal: the full disarmament of Hamas; the establishment of a technocratic, Palestinian-run government; and the rebuilding of Gaza.
Given the deep distrust between the two sides and the vast death toll since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel — an estimated 2,000 Israelis and over 70,000 Palestinians — it’s unclear if Israel has officially accepted the terms, as Trump’s claims of a “historic agreement” on Thursday suggest.
Israel has not publicly confirmed it has agreed to the framework or its disarmament terms.
The disarmament of Hamas has held up the U.S.-brokered peace plan, which has largely stalled since it was announced in October and the final hostages were freed. Disarmament has been a precondition for moving to the next phases of the plan, which include providing Board of Peace funds for the reconstruction and rebuilding of Gaza.
Under the proposal, Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza would occur in phases under a timetable that has not yet been finalized, according to U.S. and Board of Peace officials. They also claimed Israel would comply because it had already agreed to the 20-Point Plan — a multistep plan the Trump administration unveiled last September for ending the war in Gaza and establishing a postwar governing and security framework.
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Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at CNN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.
David Rohde is the senior national security reporter for MS NOW and a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. Previously he was the senior executive editor for national security and law for NBC News.
