Trump says Board of Peace has reached agreement for disarmament of Hamas
Helen Sullivan, BBC News
US President Donald Trump says the Board of Peace has reached an agreement for the "complete disarmament" of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza in what he says was "a critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government".
It was unclear whether Hamas and Israel were part of the agreement. Neither party has commented on the announcement.
Trump said Israel would withdraw from Gaza "as disarmament is completed".
The second phase of a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire plan includes the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: "This is a major milestone in the implementation of the Trump 20-Point Plan. The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases. 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."
In April this year, Hamas rejected the disarmament plan of a top figure in Trump's Gaza peace efforts, a senior Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told the BBC.
The BBC reported earlier this year that the board was originally thought to be aimed at helping end the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and oversee reconstruction. But its proposed charter does not mention the Palestinian territory and appears to be designed to supplant functions of the UN.
Hamas led an attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
Israel responded by launching a massive military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 73,290 people have been killed, including 21,280 children, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
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