US President Donald Trump on Friday (July 31) described the newly announced Gaza peace agreement as a “great breakthrough”, even as Hamas and Israeli officials indicated that major disagreements remain over how the deal would be implemented.
Speaking at Camp David, Trump said the agreement represented “a big step for the Middle East” and expressed confidence that it could help end months of fighting in Gaza, despite acknowledging that the process would face challenges.
“It’s a big step for the Middle East, and people are really impressed by it, and they’re surprised by it,” Trump said. “Will it go through its ups and downs? It’s a very complex situation over there.”
Trump touts Gaza agreement
Trump’s remarks came a day after he announced what he called a “major milestone” toward ending the war in Gaza. According to the US president, the plan envisions the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups under a roadmap prepared by his Gaza “Board of Peace.”
Trump also said Israel was supportive of the initiative following his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington earlier this week.
“Israel helped us, and they’ve been very good,” Trump said.
Hamas insists Israel must act first
Despite Trump’s optimism, Hamas signaled that implementation of the agreement would depend on Israel fulfilling commitments made under the ceasefire agreement reached last year in Sharm el-Sheikh.
A senior Hamas official involved in the negotiations told Reuters that Israel must first halt military operations, withdraw its forces from Gaza as previously agreed, and allow increased humanitarian aid into the enclave.
Another Hamas official, Ghazi Hamad, described the proposed deal as “difficult and painful” but said the group was prepared to accept it if Israel implemented the first phase of the earlier agreement.
Under Hamas’ interpretation of the roadmap, weapons would not be surrendered directly to Israel. Instead, heavy weapons would be transferred into storage under the supervision of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), the Palestinian technocratic body designated to administer the territory.
Israel maintains disarmament demand
Israel has not officially endorsed the roadmap.
An Israeli official told Reuters that Israel’s position remains unchanged, saying there would be “no withdrawal whatsoever” of Israeli forces from the current military demarcation line unless Hamas undergoes what it described as a genuine disarmament process.
Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also rejected the draft agreement, saying Israel should continue its policy of targeting Hamas leaders.
An Israeli political source added that Gaza was not discussed during Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump earlier this week.
Fighting continues despite diplomatic push
Hours after Trump unveiled the agreement, violence continued on the ground.
Gaza health authorities reported that one Palestinian was killed and several others wounded in Israeli airstrikes and gunfire.
The Israeli military said it was reviewing one incident in which a strike intended to target a Hamas operative was diverted after civilians were identified nearby. It said it had no information regarding the reported shooting.
UN backs roadmap
Trump’s Board of Peace later published a 15-point roadmap calling on both Israel and Hamas to fully implement the earlier Sharm el-Sheikh agreement, including ending military operations and transferring civil governance in Gaza to the NCAG.
The roadmap also proposes that the committee oversee the decommissioning and storage of heavy weapons, weapons depots, military production sites and tunnels. It states that no weapons would be handed over to Israel or any non-Palestinian entity.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all parties to implement the roadmap without delay or attempts to undermine it.
“Now is the time for both sides to implement what was agreed,” Guterres said.
