US President Donald Trump announced that the Board of Peace has reached what he hailed as a “historic deal” on Thursday to disarm Hamas and all other armed groups and Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza, but questions remained over conditions and timeline.
The deal, described by Trump in a post on Truth Social as a “monumental step”, comes nine months after a US-brokered ceasefire was signed to end Israel’s two year offensive on the enclave, signed in October last year in Egypt’s Sharm el Sheikh.
“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,” wrote Trump.
“At the same time, Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer used as a base for terror attacks.”
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas had largely deadlocked over the implementation of its second phase, including the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza. Neither Hamas nor Israel gave immediate indication that they have agreed to the deal.
