Hamas says it has agreed to disarm after Donald Trump announced that the Board of Peace had reached a “historic” agreement, a senior Hamas official told the BBC on Friday.
Under the proposed phased deal, Hamas would disarm, Israeli forces would withdraw as the disarmament progresses, and an international stabilisation force would work with a new Palestinian police force until a new Palestinian government takes over governance in Gaza.
Trump thanked Egypt, Qatar and Turkey for mediating the agreement.
However, a senior Hamas negotiator said the group’s disarmament is conditional on Israel fulfilling its commitments under the agreement, including withdrawing from Gaza and allowing the establishment of a national committee and reconstruction efforts.
Ghazi Hamad said: “The agreement contains a clear provision stating that Israel must commit to and implement its obligations. If Israel does not implement the agreement, neither will we.”
In other Middle East news, Tehran warned the US it will “pay the price” following reports that a family of three, including a couple and a two-year-old child, were killed in a strike on Qeshm Island.
Hamas confirms it has agreed disarm, official tells BBC
A senior Hamas official has told the BBC that the group has in fact agreed to disarm.
The parties in the Israel-Hamas war have agreed to a “historic” framework paving the way to rebuild Gaza and remake its government, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday.
Trump claims Board of Peace has reached ‘historic’ Gaza deal to disarm Hamas and withdraw Israeli troops
The parties in the Israel-Hamas war have agreed to a “historic” framework paving the way to rebuild Gaza and remake its government, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday.
The deal includes the “COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
Hamas communicated via mediators that it has agreed to the terms of the multi-step road map, U.S. and Board of Peace officials told The Independent.
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Iran says it launches drone strikes on US military facilities in Kuwait
Iran says it has launched drone strikes targeting US military facilities at Kuwait's Ahmad Al Jaber Air Base in retaliation for recent American attacks, including a strike on a residential home on Qeshm Island.
According to Iranian state media, the operation targeted aircraft hangars, satellite communications systems and equipment warehouses. There has been no immediate confirmation from US or Kuwaiti authorities on the reported attack.
Drone strike at Egypt's Damietta port raises fresh concerns over Suez shipping
A drone strike that set two gas vessels on fire at Egypt's Damietta port has heightened concerns over the security of shipping through the nearby Suez Canal, a key route for global trade and Saudi oil exports.
Egyptian authorities said an unidentified drone caused the attack, while Iran denied any involvement.
The incident comes as tensions in the region continue to escalate, prompting London's marine insurance market to expand its "high risk" zone in the Red Sea and Saudi Arabia to propose a multinational maritime defence coalition to protect shipping routes.
Meanwhile, Iraq said it had no prior knowledge of recent US-Saudi strikes on its territory, amid fears the conflict could draw more countries into the war.
Iran says it targeted US airbase in Kuwait with drone strike
Iran's army says it carried out a drone strike targeting US military facilities at Kuwait's Ahmed Al-Jaber Air Base in retaliation for recent American strikes.
In a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency, the military said the attack targeted aircraft hangars, satellite communications systems and equipment warehouses using drones.
Iran said the operation was in response to a US strike on a residential home on Qeshm Island, adding that the airbase serves as a key hub for US aerial surveillance and operational support in the region.
Trump hails ‘major milestone’
Donald Trump described the agreement as "a major milestone" in the implementation of his 20-point peace plan for Gaza, saying it would be carried out in carefully structured phases.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: “This agreement is a critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people. At the same time, Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer used as a base for terror attacks.
“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.”
Trump also added: “The threat that emerged from Gaza on October 7 will NOT be allowed to rebuild!“Under this agreement, Gaza will finally be in the hands of a new Palestinian government that serves its PEOPLE.”
Agreement reached after 'months of very difficult negotiations', says Board of Peace official
Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's director-general and high representative for Gaza, said the agreement followed months of difficult negotiations and stressed that its success would depend on implementation.
In a post on X, he wrote: "Today, agreement has been reached on the decommissioning of weapons and civilian transition in Gaza. It took months of very difficult negotiations to get here."
"There were several points when I did not believe we would make it..." he added.
Mladenov said the next stage would be crucial, writing: "What the agreement says matters. What happens next matters even more. Implementation and verification have to be real. Withdrawal must move in lockstep with decommissioning."
He also said the agreement could pave the way for a rebuilt Gaza governed by Palestinians and a broader political resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, adding: "Ahead of us is a Gaza rebuilt, governed by Palestinians and at peace with Israel an a political horizon to a meaningful resolution the Israeli Palestinian conflict. That is the work now."
Board of Peace says focus now shifts to implementation
Donald Trump's Board of Peace has described the proposed Gaza agreement as a "historic breakthrough" and said its attention is now turning to implementation.
In a statement, the board said Hamas had committed "for the first time" to an actionable plan to relinquish its weapons, to be followed by an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
"It holds the promise of delivering significant benefits to the people of Gaza, who have waited for too long for a better future, and security to the people of Israel," it said, according to the Guardian.
Hamas says disarmament depends on Israeli withdrawal
A senior Hamas negotiator has said the group's agreement to disarm is conditional on Israel fulfilling its commitments under the proposed deal.
Ghazi Hamad said in a statement carried by the Guardian that the framework links Hamas's weapons to Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, the establishment of a national committee to administer the territory and reconstruction efforts.
"If Israel does not implement the agreement, neither will we," Hamad said, adding that Hamas would discuss implementation details with mediators before agreeing on a timetable.
US-brokered plan for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon suffers slow start
A US-brokered plan for Israel to withdraw gradually from occupied areas of southern Lebanon in exchange for the disarmament of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia has started slower than expected.
The "pilot zone program" is the centrepiece of the US’ June 26 framework deal intended to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah, and establish peaceful ties between Israel and Lebanon.
Hezbollah still refuses to give up its weapons, while on the ground, the rollout of the first zone in the south Lebanese village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh last week offered a glimpse of a strained and complex process that will be no easier to repeat elsewhere.
A senior Lebanese military official, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely, told the Reuters news agency it had taken weeks of US-brokered negotiations with Israel and days of military operations to establish the first zone in a single village.
The agreement links Israel's progressive withdrawal to the "verified disarmament" of Hezbollah — which is not a party to the deal, has refused to give up its arsenal, and has raised the prospect of internal strife if the state tries to disarm it by force.