Hamas confirms disarmament deal for progressive Israeli withdrawal from Gaza

Donald Trump announced on Truth Social a HISTORIC agreement for the DÉSARMEMENT COMPLET (complete disarmament) of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza, describing the move as a étape cruciale (crucial step). The announcement immediately triggered a clash within Israeli politics; far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir condemned the deal as inacceptable pour Israël (unacceptable for Israel), asserting that ending the combat revient à accepter que le Hamas prépare le prochain massacre (amounts to accepting that Hamas prepares the next massacre) in reference to the October 7, 2023 attacks.

The agreement constitutes the second phase of a U.S.-led peace plan. While Donald Trump told journalists at Camp David that On a une entente avec Israël. Israël en est très content. Israël nous a aidés et s’est montré très coopératif à cet égard (We have an agreement with Israel. Israel is very happy with it. Israel has helped us and has been very cooperative in this regard), the Israeli government had not officially responded to the deal nearly 24 hours after its announcement, according to La Presse.

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A political source in Israel told Rtbf and Le Devoir that there would be aucun retrait (no withdrawal) of the military from the zones it controls until Hamas carries out a véritable désarmement (genuine disarmament). Israeli forces currently occupy more than 60% of the territory, with a ligne jaune (yellow line) of demarcation separating those areas from those controlled by Hamas.

The framework relies on a 15-point roadmap managed by the "Peace Council," an institution Donald Trump created in January. Central to the implementation is the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a body of Palestinian technocrats tasked with managing daily life during the transition. According to Charente Libre, the NCAG is intended to be the sole entity authorized to inventory and store weapons.

The proposed security sequence includes several specific mechanisms:

• The NCAG will manage a progressive process of dismantling and storing heavy weapons, military production sites, armories, and tunnels, without any weapons being handed over to Israel or non-Palestinian organizations.
• An International Verification Committee (IVC) will oversee the implementation.
• An International Stabilization Force (ISF), currently being formed, will deploy to monitor the ceasefire and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid.
• The ISF will collaborate with a new Palestinian police force to maintain security in Gaza.

The viability of the deal hinges on the chronology of the military exit. Hamas officials confirmed to the AFP that they accepted an agreement linking the movement's disarmament—a process that will not involve Israel—to a retrait progressif (progressive withdrawal) of Israeli forces. Ghazi Hamad, a member of the Hamas negotiating team, warned that Si Israël n’applique pas l’accord, nous ne le ferons pas non plus (If Israel does not apply the agreement, we will not either).

This tension is echoed by Gaza's residents. Ahmed Aal, a 37-year-old taxi driver, told La Presse that Israel ne respecte pas les accords (does not respect agreements). Conversely, Mohammed Hamdouna, a displaced teacher, argued that because the people have paid the price in blood, Le Hamas ne devrait absolument plus avoir aucun rôle à Gaza (Hamas should absolutely no longer have any role in Gaza).

Domestic political timing adds further complication. The agreement followed a meeting between Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. However, Muhammad Shehada, a researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told Le Devoir that with October legislative elections approaching, any withdrawal or reconstruction in Gaza would be un suicide politique (political suicide) for Netanyahu.

Violence has persisted despite the first phase of the ceasefire that took effect in October 2025, which saw the release of the final Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian detainees. Local health authorities reported at least four deaths from Israeli strikes on Thursday alone. During the period since the October 2025 ceasefire, the Israeli army reported the loss of five soldiers and one civilian contractor, according to Charente Libre.

Specialist Leïla Seurat suggests that by confirming their acceptance, Hamas is attempting to forcer la mise en œuvre de l’accord (force the implementation of the agreement) to place the responsibility for any failure on Israel and the mediators.

The transition remains physically blocked. While the Peace Council stated that the NCAG will entamera bientôt une transition progressive vers l’exercice de l’autorité pleine et entière (soon begin a progressive transition toward the exercise of full authority), the NCAG remains based in Egypt and is prevented by Israel from entering Gaza. An editorialist from the Israeli news site Ynet described the stalemate as a cycle where Sans retrait, pas de désarmement, et sans désarmement, pas de retrait (Without withdrawal, no disarmament, and without disarmament, no withdrawal).

Ghazi Hamad told the AFP that the movement will now enter discussions with mediators from Turkey, Qatar, the United States, and Egypt to settle the mechanisms and timing of the implementation. He stated that agreeing on a calendar for the application of the deal will take at least two weeks. The next critical step is a scheduled meeting of these mediators in Cairo to establish that concrete timeline.