Hamas agrees to Gaza disarmament under Board of Peace plan

Hamas says it has agreed to a phased Gaza disarmament plan tied to a full Israeli withdrawal, though key details remain unresolved and Israel has yet to publicly endorse the proposal.Hamas and other Palestinian factions have agreed in principle to a roadmap for the phased disarmament of armed groups in Gaza, though the Palestinian movement says implementation will only begin if Israel commits to withdrawing its forces from the enclave.The proposed agreement, announced Thursday as part of the internationally backed Board of Peace initiative, outlines a process that would see weapons transferred to a Palestinian National Committee rather than Israel, while Israeli forces withdraw from Gaza in parallel.According to the framework, detailed implementation plans must be finalised within 14 days after all parties formally approve the text. The process would be overseen by an international verification mechanism alongside a National Committee tasked with administering Gaza during the transition.Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas official involved in the negotiations, said the group’s agreement remains conditional on Israel fulfilling its obligations.“Once both sides approve the agreement text, Israel must begin implementing the agreement’s first phase,” Hamad told Reuters, adding that Hamas would hand over its weapons to the Palestinian National Committee only after Israeli forces begin withdrawing. He reiterated that Israel would have no role in the disarmament process and that the international force and National Committee must first enter Gaza.The proposal links each phase of disarmament to corresponding Israeli military withdrawals from different parts of Gaza. Weapons would first be inventoried and placed into storage under Palestinian supervision, with international observers monitoring compliance.The plan also envisages the deployment of an International Stabilization Force working alongside a new Palestinian administration appointed under the Board of Peace framework. According to officials involved in the negotiations, the multinational force would eventually replace Israeli troops as they leave Gaza sector by sector.U.S. President Donald Trump hailed the agreement as a breakthrough, saying it would pave the way for Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza once the phased disarmament process is complete.“There is no confirmation that the Israelis have signed up yet,” Al Jazeera’s Washington correspondent Alan Fisher reported, though officials said Trump expected Israel to endorse the roadmap and would be disappointed if it backed away from the deal.Israeli authorities had not publicly commented on the proposal as of Friday morning.Despite the announcement, Palestinian officials stressed that significant details remain unresolved.Sources familiar with the negotiations told Al Jazeera that Hamas had accepted the overall framework but views disarmament as part of a broader political settlement rather than a precondition for ending the war.Hamas has insisted the process must be accompanied by a full Israeli withdrawal from areas occupied during the conflict and carried out exclusively by Palestinian institutions.Not all Palestinian factions have endorsed the proposal. Palestinian Islamic Jihad said reports suggesting a final agreement had been reached were premature, arguing that important details still require negotiation.Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza reacted cautiously to the announcement after months of failed diplomatic efforts and repeated ceasefire violations.Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera said many residents remained sceptical, with immediate concerns focused less on political developments than on whether Israeli air strikes would stop and daily life could begin returning to normal.