The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas confirmed today that it agreed to its disarmament, but insisted that the Israelis are also obligated to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, following the announcement by American President Donald Trump.
Hamas negotiator Ghazi Hamad told Arab media outlets that the agreement includes “the obligation of the occupation [Israel] to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, open the border crossings and cease the killings.”
“If Israel does not comply with the agreement, we will not comply either,” the Hamas representative concluded.
Hamad added that the draft of the pact was discussed with several Palestinian factions, stressing that the resistance’s commitment to the terms of the agreement depends on compliance by the Israeli occupation. Trump announced on Thursday that the Peace Council had reached an agreement for the “total disarmament” of Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups in Gaza, a step that is “historic” for the creation of a new government in the enclave.
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The American leader stated on his Truth Social account that “the agreement will be implemented in carefully structured phases” and that, once disarmament is complete, “Israeli forces will withdraw,” while an International Stabilization Force will operate alongside a new Palestinian police force to ensure security in Gaza.
Trump also noted that the matter of weapons storage will fall under the supervision of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza and that Israel “will have no involvement in that.”
The Republican stated that the agreement will allow Gaza to come under the control of “a new Palestinian government” and thanked Egypt, Qatar and Turkey for their mediation efforts, as well as his negotiating team for reaching the pact.
Meanwhile, mediators Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United States will meet in Cairo in the coming hours to finalize the agreement on the disarmament of Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip and begin the second phase of the ceasefire, according to Egyptian security sources who spoke to the EFE news agency.
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The sources indicated that the agreement between Israel and Hamas will be finalized in the coming days, adding that the Palestinian group accepted the agreement in full, but requested guarantees from the Peace Council and the mediators to ensure that Israel is bound to comply with the agreement and begin a gradual withdrawal, starting with the handover of weapons, as agreed.
