Hamas agrees to Trump’s plan to disarm in Gaza – The Latest
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is The Guardian.
What seems to be in the agreement is that there will be phased withdrawal in step with disarmament. But when is it going to happen? When is it going to begin? That's really unclear. And Israeli media have been pouring cold water on it, saying it's just a Hamas play for time. Netanyahu, at the moment, is in a bind. This is something Donald Trump is asking him to do, but he knows it's not palatable to much of his coalition.
From The Guardian's Today In Focus, this is The Latest with me, Lucy Hoth. Donald Trump has announced that his Board of Peace has reached an agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas, which was a key term for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Julian Borja, you're our senior international correspondent. What do we know about this agreement?
Well, this has been brokered by the Board of Peace, as you pointed out, which was set up by Donald Trump as a way of implementing the Gaza ceasefire first agreed back in last October. There was a time when Trump was hinting it might address lots of conflicts and be a sort of alternative measure. UN, but that seems to have died down and it does seem to have focused since then on the Gaza ceasefire and in particular the main sticking point of the ceasefire up to now, which has been the issue of Hamas disarmament. Israel has said that Hamas has refused to disarm and then use that really as the justification to carry on bombing, to keep severe restrictions on the flow of aid going into Gaza and keep on moving their front lines forward.
But now they do seem to have come to an agreement about Hamas disarmament at the same time as the Israeli withdrawal. But when is it going to happen? When is it going to begin? That's really unclear. There's a two-week period now where a verification commission is going to be set up to make sure that everyone is abiding by the agreement. But then there needs to be an entry into Gaza of a technocratic Palestinian administration, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza that's been waiting to take over for a long time. But to move in, they also need a police force. And that hasn't been properly trained yet. And the police force needs the support of an international stabilization force. And that hasn't begun arriving.
So let's talk about that. So the kind of choreography of that, because Hamas say they will hand over their weapons to a body that's been created by the Board of Peace, but it is contingent on Israeli troops withdrawing from Gaza. So do we have any sense of how that will work? Because that doesn't sound like it's going to be a straightforward process by any stretch.
Yes. I mean, what seems to be in the agreement is that there will be phased withdrawal in step with disarmament. No one is going to do everything on their side before the other side does everything on theirs. We've had various sorts of noises coming out of Hamas representatives. But that seems to have been, this seems to be what's been agreed, that it will be phased withdrawal. that there won't be any disarmament before or without a corresponding withdrawal. And so this has been a sticking point up to now.
Julian, we're talking at lunchtime on Friday, so there may be developments before we air this evening. But we haven't heard from Israel yet about this withdrawal. But what is your sense about how they'll react and what that withdrawal might look like?
Well, the Israeli officials being quoted anonymously on Israeli media have been pouring cold water on it, saying it's just Hamas play for time. You've had the national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gavir, saying the only thing to do with Hamas is destroy them and encourage emigration from Gaza. The hard line of the coalition have never accepted this ceasefire and can be expected to carry on opposing it.
What breakthrough did Donald Trump's Board of Peace announce about Hamas disarmament?
So Netanyahu at the moment is in a bind because this is something Donald Trump is asking him to do, but he knows it's not palatable to much of his coalition.
But he was in Washington this week, wasn't he, for the first time since February, the start of the war with Iran.
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