Trump says deal reached to disarm Hamas, Israeli support for plan remains uncertain

CAIRO/WASHINGTON, July 30 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said talks in Cairo between mediators and Hamas leaders on Thursday have led to a phased disarmament agreement in Gaza, but a Hamas official described the deal as a draft and U.S. officials said Israel was skeptical the militant Palestinian group would surrender its weapons. 'Today, the Board of Peace reached a HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza,' Trump said in a social media post, adding that the disarmament would come in phases. 'This is a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY.' A Hamas source told Reuters the 'draft agreement' stipulates that heavy weapons would only be stored and kept under the control of a Palestinian administration, and the weapons cannot be transferred to Israel. 'We will not take any action regarding disarmament prior to Israel's withdrawal from the Strip,' Ghazi Hamad, a member of the Hamas negotiating team, told Al Jazeera. An Israeli official, who declined to be identified, said before Trump's announcement Israel had rejected a proposal. 'Israel demands the complete disarmament of Hamas, including the removal of weapons from Gaza and the complete demilitarization of the Strip as a precondition for any process,' the official said earlier on Thursday. 'The 15-point document in question does not provide a satisfactory response to these demands and Israel conveyed its objections.' A Board of Peace official gave an estimate of 200 to 320 days, but a U.S. official played down that timeline.