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Hamas has agreed in principle to disarm as part of a ceasefire agreement with Israel aimed at ending the war in Gaza, while Israeli forces will withdraw from the territory in phases, according to senior Hamas officials who spoke to AFP on Friday.
The issue of Hamas’ disarmament had been one of the biggest obstacles to advancing the ceasefire that has been in effect since last October. Despite the truce, violence has continued in Gaza, with the Israeli military saying it has been targeting Hamas fighters.
A senior Hamas official said an understanding had been reached on the group’s weapons, alongside a phased Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. He added that Hamas expects the mediating countries and the “Board of Peace,” established by U.S. President Donald Trump, to ensure that Israel complies with the terms of the agreement.
Weapons to Be Controlled by National Committee
Hamas negotiator Ghazi Hamad said the group’s flexibility was intended to protect Gaza’s population from further killings and displacement.
He explained that the issue of Hamas’ weapons is directly linked to Israel’s military withdrawal, the deployment of a national administrative committee, and the reconstruction of Gaza.
According to Hamad, Israel will have no role in overseeing the disarmament process. Instead, responsibility will rest solely with the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG).
The committee will supervise the registration, storage, and control of weapons according to an agreed timetable. It will hold exclusive authority over the possession, collection, and management of arms in Gaza.
However, the committee established under the peace initiative has not yet entered the Gaza Strip.
Trump Claims Breakthrough
Earlier, Al Jazeera reported that President Donald Trump said his Board of Peace had reached an agreement with Hamas and other armed groups regarding disarmament in Gaza.
Writing on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Thursday, Trump described the agreement as “an important step for Gaza.” He said it would pave the way for the formation of a new Palestinian government that would work closely with the Board of Peace for the benefit of the Palestinian people, while ensuring Israel receives the security it seeks.
Trump also said the phased disarmament of Hamas forms part of the ceasefire agreement brokered under his mediation last October, which he claimed brought an end to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
According to the report, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed during the war, and large parts of the Gaza Strip have been devastated.
Ghazi Hamad told Al Jazeera that Hamas would not implement any stage of the agreement unless Israel fully honors its own commitments under the peace deal.