President Donald Trump says he has reached a major new milestone in his Gaza peace plan, announcing what he calls a historic agreement for Hamas to disarm.
Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said on X the militant group agreed to the roadmap. The ball is now in Israel’s court to “fulfill its obligations according to the agreement,” Naim said.
In a Truth Social post Thursday night, Trump announced a “historic agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza,” writing that it was a “monumental step toward lasting peace and security.”
The board of peace says Hamas has agreed to a roadmap for the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire after months of negotiations.
“The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases,” Trump wrote. “As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors.”
He did not lay out a timetable for the disarmament.
Trump also said the agreement would put Gaza under a new Palestinian government.
History of the war in Gaza
The “historic agreement” comes nearly three years after the war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 people, with more than 250 taken hostage.
Israel launched a retaliatory attack campaign on Gaza, which left more than 73,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
Then, last fall, Trump unveiled his 20-point peace plan, leading to a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as well as a hostage and Palestinian prisoner exchange.
The plan called for Hamas to turn over its weapons, dismantle its military infrastructure and relinquish power in exchange for an Israeli troop withdrawal.
The Iran conflict continues
But despite the agreement, war in the Middle East continues.
Iran’s military claims it launched drone strikes against U.S. military sites in Kuwait overnight, saying it targeted aircraft shelters, satellite communications systems and equipment storage facilities.
U.S. Central Command has not confirmed any attacks.
However, the Iranian army said the strikes came “in response to the recent aggression by the terrorist U.S. military against our country and its brutal attack on a residential home on Qeshm Island.”
Local media said three members of a family were killed in U.S. strikes on the island, located in the Strait of Hormuz waterway.
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