Jul 31, 2026

Trump Confirms Israel Backs Hamas Disarmament Deal

By Afolabi Olaiya Idowu in world

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Washington / Gaza – July 31, 2026 — President Donald Trump said Friday that Israel is on board with a newly announced agreement requiring Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza to fully disarm, telling ABC News, “We do have an understanding with Israel.”

The remark came in response to a direct question from ABC’s Mary Bruce about whether the U.S. had solid assurances from Israel following Trump’s announcement of the deal a day earlier.

A Major Milestone in the 20-Point Plan

On Thursday, Trump declared that the U.S.-led Board of Peace had reached what he called a “historic” agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other militant factions in Gaza.

The deal forms a key next phase of the 20-point peace framework he unveiled last year that produced a ceasefire, hostage-prisoner exchanges, and the beginning of a transition away from Hamas governance.

Under the roadmap, Hamas has committed to relinquishing its weapons in carefully structured phases.

Once disarmament progresses, Israeli forces are to withdraw, an International Stabilization Force is to deploy alongside a new Palestinian police force, and governance is to pass to a technocratic Palestinian administration focused on security, reconstruction, and civilian needs.

Trump thanked mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkey for their roles and said the arrangement would finally remove Gaza as a base for attacks while placing the territory “in the hands of a new Palestinian government that serves its people.”

Mixed Signals and Remaining Hurdles

Hamas has publicly accepted the roadmap, though it has linked the handover of heavier weapons to simultaneous Israeli withdrawals.

Israel has not issued a formal public statement. Some Israeli officials have privately conveyed reservations to Board of Peace representatives, underscoring the complexity of turning the announcement into reality on the ground.

Speaking later to reporters, Trump reiterated that Israel is “very happy” with the agreement and had been helpful throughout the process.

The Board of Peace described the deal as the product of months of negotiations and a breakthrough that many once considered impossible.

The original ceasefire that followed Trump’s 20-point plan halted the large-scale fighting that erupted after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.

Yet full implementation has repeatedly stalled over the twin issues of Hamas’s military infrastructure and the scope and timing of an Israeli pullout.

If successfully executed, the current agreement would mark the most significant step yet toward demilitarizing Gaza, installing a non-Hamas administration, and allowing large-scale reconstruction and humanitarian recovery.

Skeptics on all sides, however, warn that sequencing, verification and enforcement remain formidable challenges in a deeply fractured environment.

As details of the phased timeline continue to emerge, the coming weeks will test whether the understanding Trump described with Israel—and the commitments secured from Hamas—can survive the difficult transition from announcement to lasting change on the ground.