Donald Trump has said Israel is "very happy" with the agreement reached by the Board of Peace for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups in Gaza.
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.
"We do have an understanding with Israel. Israel is very happy about it. Israel helped us, and they've been very good”, Trump said. "Will it go through its ups and downs? It's a very complex situation over there”.
Hamas has said the agreement stipulates that Israel must stop killing Palestinians and withdraw from Gaza before it disarms, according to Reuters.
Senior Hamas negotiator Ghazi Hamad 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.
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.
US military says it redirected 30 ships during blockade
US Central Command has said that it redirected 30 ships, disabled two and boarded two as of Friday while enforcing its blockade of Iranian ports.
Strait of Hormuz traffic remains muted
Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has remained muted as the Iran war drags on.
Several Palestinians wounded in Israeli airstrike hours after disarmament deal announced, medics say
Several Palestinians were wounded in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza hours after US President Donald Trump announced a deal on Hamas disarmament, Gaza medics said.
Israel’s Yellow Line closing in on the space where Gaza civilians can still live
A reminder of what has been going on in Gaza recently, while much of the focus has been on Iran.
Here is a report from three days ago:
In Gaza’s Zeitoun district, Assem Dawla loaded mattresses and bags onto a truck as concrete yellow blocks marking the edge of Israel's expanding military zone stood nearby.
He said it was the seventh or eighth time since the war began that he and his family had been forced to leave a shelter because of the advance of what residents call the yellow line.
Zeitoun is one of at least five locations across Gaza where residents and Hamas officials say Israel has expanded areas under its control in recent days by moving forward the yellow line, a military demarcation established under a US-brokered ceasefire reached in October.
As men hoisted belongings onto a waiting truck, elderly relatives picked their way through debris. Continued Israeli military activity made it too dangerous to remain, Dawla said.
"We are taking our belongings out and going to leave the place because the occupation (Israel) has moved the yellow line all the way to Salah al-Din Street," he said.
Recap: 'More work remains' says Jared Kushner following disarmament announcement
President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner has responded to news of a “historic” deal brokered by the Board of Peace, which would see Hamas relinquish arms.
In a post on X, the White House called the agreement “a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY”.
Kushner reposted the announcement, writing: “Another historic step. And more work remains.”
He was instrumental in proposing a reconstruction plan, which was significantly scaled back according to recent reports.
No Israeli withdrawal until Hamas disarms, Israeli political sources said before announcement
Our chief international correspondent Bel Trew reports:
An Israeli political source told The Independent that the issue of Gaza was not raised at all in the meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump.
“Israel demands the complete disarmament of Hamas, including the removal of weapons from Gaza and the complete demilitarisation of the Strip as a precondition for any process,” they said.
“The 15-point document in question does not provide a satisfactory response to these demands, and Israel conveyed its objections on the matter to Tony Blair’s envoy.
“There will be no Israeli withdrawal from the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip before Hamas is disarmed and the Strip is demilitarised.”
The comments came shortly before President Donald Trump’s announcement.
German foreign minister welcomes Gaza disarmament deal, offers support
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Friday welcomed a phased disarmament agreement in Gaza announced by U.S. President Donald Trump and said that now it was key that real progress was made and militant Palestinian group Hamas actually disarms.
"Germany stands ready to support the people of Gaza with humanitarian aid and early recovery. Thus, additional crossings into Gaza should be opened without delay," wrote Wadephul on X, adding that Germany will do its part to help implement the agreement.
Israel refuses to withdraw before Hamas disarms after Trump celebrates ‘major milestone’ in peace process
Israel and Hamas remained at loggerheads over a supposed agreement to bring lasting peace to Gaza on Friday, after Donald Trump said his so-called ‘Board of Peace’ had firmed up a deal to disarm the militant group.
A senior Hamas official said on Friday that their disarmament would depend on Israel first withdrawing from the Gaza Strip - but a diplomatic source in Israel told The Independent that Hamas would have to give up its guns first.
The Board of Peace did little to clarify the situation, sharing a 15-point ‘roadmap’ to peace saying Hamas would give up heavy weapons and security responsibilities, and that Israel would carry out a “phased” retreat from Gaza.
Hamas also demanded that Israel stop its attacks in the Gaza Strip, as local health authorities said that at least one person had been killed and several others injured in at least two Israeli airstrikes and by gunfire in the enclave.
Read our full report by senior reporter James Reynolds, chief international correspondent Bel Trew, and Nedal Hamdouna in Gaza:
'Glimmer of hope': Palestinians see light at the end of the tunnel but say conditions remain dire
Nedal Hamdouna reports from inside Gaza:
Palestinians have spoken of a “glimmer of hope” in the strip after there appears to finally have been movement forwards in the ceasefire deal, following months of stagnation.
"There is a glimmer of hope that these negotiations and the agreement might mark the end of the tragedy we are living through in the Gaza Strip,” Abdul Hamid Awad, a 23-year-old from northern Gaza, told The Independent.
“However, there is a deep-seated fear that the agreement will fail, leaving the Palestinian people under the oppression and tyranny of the Israeli occupation.”
Palestinians are living under “extremely harsh conditions”, he said, adding that most people “cannot afford their daily bread”.
“We are living in an undeniable catastrophe, dwelling in tents and destroyed homes—tents that offer no protection against the heat or the cold, causing skin diseases and fungal rashes, especially among children.”