Hamas Gives Its Approval
An Egyptian source told mediators that Hamas and Palestinian factions have agreed to the roadmap for implementing phase two of the Gaza ceasefire deal. A senior Hamas official, Ghazi Hamad, confirmed to CNN that the movement had reached an understanding with the “Board of Peace” to hand over its weapons, conditional on the deployment of an international force and progress on Israeli withdrawal steps. Axios separately reported that the White House expects Hamas to formally sign on to a gradual disarmament arrangement within the coming days. Under the plan, weapons of all kinds — including police arms, light and heavy weapons, tunnels, and manufacturing sites — would ultimately fall under the exclusive control of a Palestinian technocratic committee.
Israel Says No — Not Without Full Disarmament First
Despite Hamas’s agreement, Israel has publicly rejected the framework. An official Israeli political source, in a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, said Israel would not withdraw from the “yellow line” inside Gaza before Hamas’s full disarmament and the Strip’s complete demilitarization — a position already conveyed to Board of Peace official Tony Blair. The source argued the 15-point roadmap fails to meet Israel’s core demand: removing all weapons from Gaza entirely as a precondition for any further political steps. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir rejected the plan outright, describing dialogue with the movement in overtly hostile terms.
A Gap Between the Mediators’ Optimism and Israel’s Official Line
The disconnect between Hamas’s agreement and Israel’s public rejection has cast doubt over the roadmap’s fate, even as Israeli media leaks point to significant behind-the-scenes progress. A source close to the Board of Peace told Haaretz that while an imminent announcement was premature, understandings had indeed been reached with Israel on continuing to implement the broader Trump plan, describing wide coordination and a shared view of the path ahead. Israel’s Channel 12 reported that a weapons handover could begin within weeks, with arms stored and decommissioned under the guard of a multinational force.
A U.S. official pushed back on Netanyahu’s office, confirming that Gaza had in fact come up when Netanyahu met President Trump, with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly briefing on the state of the disarmament talks during that meeting. Negotiations are continuing in Cairo, with an Israeli delegation reported to have traveled to El Alamein, Egypt, for further discussions with Hamas and Board of Peace mediators — leaving open the question of whether Israel’s public objections will stall a plan that Hamas has now formally accepted.