- Published
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.
asserted
Board → publish → Gaza
A senior Hamas official has told the BBC the group has agreed to the Board of Peace's plan to completely disarm in Gaza and that an official statement would be released soon.
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statement → tell → Gaza
Israel has yet to comment.
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Israel → have → ?
The board, created and led by Trump, said in a statement that the agreement concludes months of "intensive, good faith negotiations", and that its focus is now on implementation.
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focus → create → implementation
It is part of the second phase of a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire plan includes the disarmament of Hamas, the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the reconstruction of Gaza.
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It → broker → Gaza
The US president said Israel would withdraw from Gaza "as disarmament is completed" and called the agreement "a critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government".
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Gaza → say → government
"The International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbours," he said in a post on Truth Social.
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he → work → Social
Trump said the agreement marked a "major milestone in the implementation of the Trump 20-Point Plan", and he thanked mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.
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he → say → mediators
The plan, unveiled in September last year, included the creation of the Board of Peace to oversee the agreement's implementation and "handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza".
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plan → unveil → Gaza
Founding members of the board, aside from the US, include Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
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members → found → Pakistan
The UK, France and China are among some of the countries to hold off on joining the group since its establishment, with some citing concerns in relation to international law and the UN.
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some → hold → law
Though started as part of Trump's Gaza peace plan, it is believed the board has since widened its scope, with its website describing the organisation as a more general, "international peace-building body".
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website → start → body
A US official, asked on a call with reporters about how hopeful the US is that Israel will agree to withdraw from Gaza once Hamas has disarmed, said, "We're not asking Israel to do anything other than agree to the 20-point plan that they agreed to, initially.
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they → ask → that
And so we're very confident they will adhere to it."
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they → adhere → it
If Israel decides not to withdraw, Trump would be "very disappointed", the official said.
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official → decide → ?
The official said the US believes Israel would continue to be a good partner.
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Israel → say → ?
Though it initially agreed to the plan, Israel remains highly sceptical of Hamas's willingness to disarm.
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Israel → agree → willingness
The BBC has seen the agreement, which provides for the inventorying and storage of Hamas's remaining heavy weapons under Palestinian supervision.
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which → see → supervision
This potentially removes the most significant obstacle to advancing the Trump-backed peace initiative for Gaza.
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This → remove → Gaza
US officials said smaller groups in Gaza would be disarmed first, before Hamas begins dismantling what they described as its state-like military infrastructure of tunnels, weapons depots and production facilities - a process they acknowledged would take considerably longer.
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they → say → tunnels
The officials said the plan was deliberately built on "zero trust" and with verification, with neither Hamas nor Israel moving to the next phase until the other has fulfilled its commitments.
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other → say → commitments
In Gaza, the announcement has been met with little public enthusiasm.
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announcement → meet → enthusiasm
Many Palestinians have grown deeply sceptical of political breakthroughs, with previous agreements having repeatedly broken down before delivering meaningful improvements on the ground.
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agreements → grow → ground
According to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, at least 1,168 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect last October.
uncertain
ceasefire → accord → effect
Four Israeli soldiers have been killed in Palestinian attacks in Gaza over the same period.
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soldiers → kill → period
Cairo is set to host a meeting "soon" of the Gaza truce mediators, which also include the United States, Qatar and Turkey, state-linked Al-Qahera News reported early Friday.
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News → set → States
Earlier in the day, unnamed sources who spoke to Reuters reported that talks between the mediators and Hamas leaders in Cairo on implementing the US-brokered Gaza peace plan had made rare progress, but an Israeli official said the proposed terms were not satisfactory.
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terms → speak → progress
Following Trump's announcement, the Times of Israel reported, citing an unnamed source, that the agreement had been signed between negotiators from Hamas as well as the board and mediating countries.
But it said that "an Israeli office" issued a statement saying the disarmament proposal did not meet Israel's demands.
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proposal → follow → demands
Earlier in the day, Israeli media reported that Israel was opposed to a deal that was being discussed with Hamas.
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that → report → Hamas
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.
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official → reject → BBC
Earlier this month, Hamas elected a new leader, Khalil al-Hayya.
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Hamas → elect → leader
He replaced Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by the Israeli military in Gaza in October 2024.
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who → replace → October
As the chief negotiator for Hamas, Hayya led the group's delegations at indirect ceasefire talks, meeting mediators in Egypt and Qatar.
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Hayya → lead → Egypt
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.
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board → report → reconstruction
But its proposed charter does not mention the Palestinian territory and appears to be designed to supplant functions of the UN.
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charter → propose → UN
Hamas led an attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
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251 → lead → which
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, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.
uncertain
figures → respond → UN
In 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC), issued arrest warrants over alleged war crimes for Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, and as well as the military commander of Hamas, Mohammed Deif.
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Court → issue → Hamas
Israel has said Deif was killed in an air strike.
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Deif → say → strike
Prime Minister Netanyahu condemned the ICC's decision as "antisemitic", while Hamas said the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant had set an "important historical precedent".
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warrants → condemn → precedent
…and 4 more, not listed.
