US President Donald Trump stated on Thursday that an agreement has been reached for Hamas to surrender its arms and for Israeli military forces to pull back from Gaza, though substantial hurdles, specific conditions, and extended timelines continue to complicate an end to the war in the Palestinian territory.

Neither Hamas nor the Israeli government gave any immediate confirmation that they had formally acceded to the terms.

The White House statement follows nine months after the execution of a US-mediated ceasefire.

Direct negotiations between the opposing sides had previously hit a standstill over implementing the pact's second stage, specifically concerning the demilitarization of Hamas and the rebuilding of Gaza.

"The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases," Trump posted on social media.

"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."

Under Trump's 20-point ceasefire framework, the militant group is required to turn over its arsenal and demolish its extensive underground network of tunnels.

The outline further projects the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops, the installment of an independent technocratic Palestinian leadership, the deployment of a multinational peacekeeping entity, and the reconstruction of the heavily damaged territory.

Trump announced the purported consensus on one of the most contentious aspects of the peace framework at a time when negotiations had stalled and military operations had heightened in the war initiated in February by the US and Israel against Iran, a primary financial and military backer of Hamas.

Briefing reporters anonymously under White House media rules, officials from the United States and the Board of Peace—an international body instituted by Trump to supervise the truce—presented a highly optimistic outline of the arrangement.

Their description closely reflected the vision presented by Trump and his team when the board was created.

While officials were unable to furnish explicit timetables for the full disarming of Hamas or auxiliary factions like Palestinian Islamic Jihad, they indicated that the Gaza police force is slated to hand over its armaments to the Board of Peace-backed technocratic administration within two weeks.

However, officials clarified that this initial arrangement excludes heavy weaponry and does not involve the main body of Hamas combatants.

According to a Board of Peace representative, the actual surrender of heavy munitions and the dismantling of tunnel infrastructure will take place during a subsequent phase that could require anywhere from 200 to 350 days.

A American official affirmed that Israel—which has maintained strong skepticism regarding Hamas's willingness to relinquish its weapons or give up indirect control over Gaza—was consulted throughout every stage of the talks.

The official noted that Israel is not being asked to make concessions beyond its original pledges under Trump's 20-point plan, which center on pulling its troops out of Gaza and stopping aerial bombardment of the enclave.

The official remarked that Trump would be "very, very disappointed" if Israel failed to abide by the pact.

Trump held a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, though neither leader disclosed substantive details regarding their discussions in what marked their first face-to-face conference since launching military operations against Iran.

Israel's Mission to the United Nations declined to comment immediately on the development.

The US official also identified Iran as an unpredictable factor in the equation, explaining that while Tehran advised Hamas negotiators to reject the deal, the Iranian government is currently incapable of providing substantial backing to the group due to its active conflict with the United States.

Historically, Hamas had demanded the full implementation of the ceasefire's first phase prior to addressing its military hardware.

The faction's founding charter calls for armed struggle against Israel, making the group hesitant to surrender its inventory of rockets, anti-tank missiles, and explosives, which form the bedrock of its organizational identity.

Nevertheless, Hamas announced earlier this month that it had dissolved its administrative government in Gaza and was preparing to transfer executive authority to a United Nations-supported technical panel as part of the broader ceasefire process.

The war in Gaza broke out following the Hamas-led incursions into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the captivity of 251 hostages.

Israel's military response in Gaza has killed over 73,000 Palestinians, including casualties recorded since the ceasefire took effect, according to figures from the Gaza Health Ministry.

Israeli forces currently maintain control over more than half of Gaza's land area, leaving the local Palestinian population confined to crowded tent camps and damaged urban centers.

Source: AP