Trump announces deal for Hamas to disarm; Israel 'skeptical'

President Trump on Thursday evening announced a deal for Hamas to disarm in "carefully structured phases," which, if carried out, would address one of the main sticking points for a broader peace deal in Gaza.
"This agreement is a critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. "At the same time, Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer used as a base for terror attacks."
"The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases," he added. "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."
Trump did not provide details of the phases in his post.
A U.S. official said Israel remains "skeptical" that Hamas will follow through.
"They're very skeptical that Hamas will disarm. But again, they're not really being asked to do much in the process because this isn't really a trust deal. This is really, you know, it's a conditions-based deal. And as things happen, that everyone has to follow the obligations they've taken," the official said.
Amit Segal, chief political analyst for Israel's N12News, outlined some terms earlier in the day, saying Hamas would surrender all weapons within "weeks" to depots guarded by multinational forces, as well as ending all military activity and recruitment.
Israel would not withdraw its military behind the "yellow line," the demarcation that has divided Gaza since a peace framework was announced in October, until disarmament is complete.
Neither the Israelis or Hamas had officially commented on Trump's announcement as of 7 p.m. EDT on Thursday. The Hill reached out to both sides.
The Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday that the 15-point document under discussion did not "adequately address" Israeli demands for the full demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.
The outlet said Israel's concerns were conveyed to former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, a mediator who sits on the "Board of Peace" meant to oversee Gaza's reconstruction.
U.S. and Board of Peace officials said the first step in the roadmap is establishing a "complete monopoly of weapons," so that Hamas cannot disrupt the peace process moving forward.
The first tranche of weapons would be police firearms, followed by heavy weapons, weapons depots and tunnels, they said.
"That will obviously be a very technical process in which we will rely heavily on the expertise and support of the International Stabilization Force, which has studied this situation for months now and looked at how this can be done," said one official.
The final challenge would be collecting "personal weapons," which would be achieved through enforcing existing Palestinian legislation.
"Of course, there's the issue of the militias and the clans that exist in Gaza that they will also have to demilitarize and decommission their weapons as part of this process," the official said.
Once that phase is verified — through a process agreed on by both sides — Hamas will officially transfer "civilian and security functions" to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, formed by the Board of Peace.
Once Israel is satisfied that there is no internal threat in Gaza, it will begin a phased withdrawal of its military "according to a timetable that needs to be finalized."
"And last but not least, is the main principle of reconstruction and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip," the official said.