US officials say Hamas agrees to disarm under Gaza roadmap
By Reena Bhardwaj, Washington DC, July 31
Hamas has agreed for the first time to a detailed roadmap to surrender its weapons and give up any governing role in Gaza, according to US officials, who described it as the most significant breakthrough since the ceasefire began.
A draft plan released on Thursday outlines a phased process that would begin within 14 days of formal approval by all parties. President Donald Trump announced the development on Truth Social, after which senior US and international officials briefed reporters on the details.
Officials said the roadmap builds on a previously agreed 20-point Gaza peace plan, converting it into a phased implementation framework after eight months of negotiations that followed the release of hostages and the return of bodies.
At the centre of the plan is a transitional Palestinian body, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), which would take over civilian and security responsibilities during the transition period. Officials said the plan leaves "no grey zone" on disarmament, with weapons to be placed under NCAG control rather than handed to Israel or rival Palestinian factions.
The process is designed to proceed without reliance on trust. Each stage is conditional and must be verified by an independent Implementation and Verification Committee before moving forward.
"We're not relying on the trust of anyone," one official said. "We're trying to make everything conditions-based and verified. We're just going to move forward. Some days we'll pick up a lot of ground. Some days we'll pick up a little ground. But this was a big step forward, which we worked really hard to get to."
Implementation could take between 200 and 350 days and is expected to proceed region by region rather than across Gaza simultaneously. An Israeli military withdrawal would be phased and linked to progress on disarmament.
An International Stabilisation Force, led by the United States, would support the process by training Palestinian police, overseeing the collection of weapons and positioning itself between Israeli and Palestinian forces. Officials said more than 5,000 troops have already been pledged. Turkey, Qatar and Egypt are acting as key mediators, with wider backing from regional partners.
The Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank, has not been given a formal role under the plan. Officials said its future involvement would depend on demonstrating reforms and effective governance, with a liaison arrangement in place for now.Officials also said Iran had attempted to discourage Hamas from moving forward with the agreement, but added that its influence had diminished.
They cautioned that the plan could still fail. "This is a totally impossible task," an official added, "but again, we've already accomplished several miracles." The next stage, they said, will be to verify that both Israel and Hamas are complying with existing ceasefire terms as implementation begins.
— ANI
Reader Comments
While I'm cautiously optimistic, I can't help but wonder about the Palestinian Authority being left out. If they're not given a formal role, how will this create a unified Palestinian governance structure in the long run? The NCAG sounds good on paper, but without PA involvement, we might just be creating another fragmented system. India has always supported a two-state solution, and this needs to lead to a viable Palestinian state, not just another interim arrangement.
This is what years of patient diplomacy looks like. The bit about not relying on trust and making everything conditions-based is exactly right. You can't build peace on handshakes alone. The US-led stabilisation force with 5,000 troops is a serious commitment — this could actually work if everyone sticks to the timeline.
I want to believe this time is different, but we've seen so many "breakthroughs" over the years that end up in the same cycle of violence. The fact that the official himself said "this is a totally impossible task" tells you everything. Still, India has always supported peace in West Asia, and I hope this genuinely brings stability to the region. Let's see if the ceasefire holds through the implementation phase. 🤞
The phased approach makes sense — region by region, with verification at each step. What I find encouraging is that weapons aren't being handed to Israel or rival factions but to a neutral committee. That removes a lot of potential flashpoints. Also, having Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt as mediators brings in different perspectives that could help balance things. This might be the most credible plan we've seen yet.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.