FRESH: Finally, Hamas Agrees To Complete Disarmament In Gaza
Hamas has agreed to a United States-backed plan announced by President Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza.
The Genius Media Nigeria understands that the agreement includes the handover of its weapons to a Palestinian governing body and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the territory.
The development was announced on Friday as part of efforts to advance the next phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
However, Israel has yet to officially endorse the latest announcement, with an Israeli political source insisting that there would be no withdrawal of its forces from their current positions unless Hamas carried out what was described as a genuine disarmament.
According to Al Jazeera, sources told journalists that “there will be no withdrawal whatsoever” from the current Israeli lines “unless Hamas undergoes a genuine disarmament.”
The issue of Hamas’ weapons has remained one of the biggest obstacles to the full implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
Trump announced on Thursday that an agreement had been reached for Hamas’ “complete disarmament,” describing the move as a critical step towards establishing a new Palestinian administration in Gaza.
According to Hamas officials, a committee set up by Trump’s Board of Peace would oversee the process of storing the group’s weapons.
Hamas said it expected international mediators and the Board of Peace to ensure that Israel also fulfilled its obligations under the agreement, including the withdrawal of its forces from Gaza.
Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas’ negotiating team, said the group had agreed to make difficult concessions in order to protect Palestinians in the territory.
“Hamas is making concessions for the sake of our people in the Gaza Strip, to save them from killing and displacement,” he said.
Hamad also insisted that Israel would not be responsible for overseeing the disarmament process.
“Israel will not intervene in the issue of disarmament. The National Committee is the body that will undertake this task,” he said, referring to the National Committee for Administration of Gaza.
Israel has repeatedly maintained that Hamas must be fully disarmed before its troops withdraw from Gaza.
The Israeli position was reinforced after the latest announcement, with a political source saying the removal of weapons and complete demilitarisation of Gaza remained conditions for any further process.
The source said “the removal of weapons from Gaza and full demilitarisation of the Strip” were necessary before Israeli forces could pull back.
The position was also opposed by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, who described the agreement as unacceptable.
He argued that the plan could allow Hamas to reorganise and prepare for another attack.
Ben Gvir said the agreement was “tantamount to agreeing to Hamas organising for the next massacre”.
‘Focus On Implementation’
The Board of Peace confirmed on social media that Hamas had accepted a “detailed Roadmap for implementing the next phases of the Gaza ceasefire”.
“Our focus now turns to implementation,” the organisation said, adding that the National Committee for Administration of Gaza would “soon begin a phased transition toward full authority”.
Trump said in an earlier social media post that once Hamas was disarmed, Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza.
He added that an International Stabilisation Force would work alongside a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for security in Gaza.
Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza, said the agreement followed months of difficult negotiations.
“What happens next matters even more. Implementation and verification have to be real,” Mladenov wrote on 𝕏.
“Withdrawal must move in lockstep with decommissioning,” he added.
EU Welcomes Agreement
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, welcomed the agreement but warned that its success would depend on the commitment of all parties.
“A lot needs to fall in place for this to work,” Kallas said, noting that verifying Hamas’ compliance would be a major challenge.
She also stressed that Israel would eventually have to withdraw from Gaza as part of the process.
Meanwhile, Egypt is expected to host a meeting of mediators involved in the ceasefire negotiations, Naija News understands.
Egypt’s state-linked Al-Qahera News reported on Friday that the meeting would focus on the second phase of the ceasefire plan.
The mediators include the United States, Qatar and Turkey.
A diplomatic source described the roadmap as “a balanced and pragmatic path forward, with all weapons decommissioned and a phased transition of responsibilities” to the new authorities.
The source, who spoke anonymously, said the plan would contain no exemptions regarding weapons or individuals.
“There would be no exceptions for certain weapons or certain people,” the source said.
The roadmap would also provide for the destruction of tunnels, weapons depots and facilities used for weapons production, while a verification system would be established to monitor compliance by all sides.
The latest diplomatic breakthrough comes amid continued violence in Gaza despite the ceasefire agreement.
Health officials said Israeli strikes on Thursday killed at least four people, including two children.
Meanwhile, a Hamas source familiar with the negotiations said the group was waiting for Israel’s response to amendments it had submitted to mediators.
The source said the proposed changes focused on two provisions in the roadmap presented by the Board of Peace.
On the issue of weapons, the source said “some points were removed, and alternatives were proposed”.
