World

Trump Announces Complete Hamas Disarmament Agreement in Gaza

Herz — World Desk · 31 July 2026 at 06:02 · 30s summary · 4 min read

The essentials

Donald Trump announced on July 31, 2026 via Truth Social that an agreement on "complete disarmament" of Hamas in Gaza had been reached through the American Peace Council. The Islamic organization would place its weapons under international supervision without direct handover to Israel. In return, Israeli forces must withdraw completely from Gaza. However, Israel expressed reservations, stating that the 15-point plan negotiated in Cairo does not meet its full demilitarization requirements.

Trump announces complete Hamas disarmament agreement on July 31, 2026
Hamas would place weapons under international supervision, not directly to Israel
Israeli forces must completely withdraw from Gaza in return
Israel states the 15-point plan fails to meet its full demands
Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey served as key mediators in negotiations

What We Know

Donald Trump announced on July 31, 2026 via Truth Social that an agreement on "complete disarmament" of Hamas in the Gaza Strip had been reached. Trump described this agreement as a "monumental step" toward lasting peace and security.

The announcement comes from the Peace Council—a negotiating mechanism initiated by the United States to coordinate discussions between parties to the conflict, bringing together regional mediators. Trump employs the German term "Friedensrat" (Peace Council) to refer to this mechanism. He thanked Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey for their role in reaching the agreement.

Terms of the Agreement

According to sources close to Hamas reported by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the Islamic nationalist Palestinian movement was prepared to place its weapons under the supervision of the Palestinian transitional administration—a provisional Palestinian governance structure—and international mediators. This arrangement excludes any direct handover of weapons to Israel.

Disarmament would also extend to all other Islamic groups operating in the Gaza Strip. An international stabilization force would collaborate with "a new Palestinian police force" to ensure security in Gaza and for neighboring countries.

In return for disarmament, Israeli forces must completely withdraw from Gaza and cease targeted assassinations in the territory. The Palestinian transitional administration would also assume "full responsibility" for the rights of Gaza employees previously employed by the Hamas administration.

Israel's Reservations

Prior to Trump's announcement, an Israeli official stated that Israel requires complete disarmament including the physical removal of all weapons from Gaza and total demilitarization as a precondition to any political process. This official stated that the 15-point plan does not sufficiently meet these demands.

Israel has conditioned any withdrawal behind the "Yellow Line"—the term for the military demarcation line that Israel has progressively advanced inside Gaza—on the prior completion of complete disarmament and total demilitarization.

Israel has progressively shifted this demarcation line by extending its military control zone. Palestinians now have access to only one-third of the territory's total area.

Context

The Gaza Strip is a 365-square-kilometer region bordering the Mediterranean, surrounded by Israel and Egypt, with a population estimated at over two million inhabitants. It constitutes, along with the West Bank, one of the territories claimed by the Palestinian Authority.

Intensive negotiations held in Cairo resulted in a preliminary agreement on a 15-point plan. Sources within Hamas confirmed these advances, and Israeli media initially also reported this progress.