After months of intense negotiations, the United States and the Board of Peace have announced what officials are calling a historic agreement aimed at ending years of conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The phased disarmament deal calls for Hamas to relinquish control of Gaza and ultimately leave the territory, while Gaza's police and military forces are expected to surrender their heavy weapons to a new Palestinian security authority operating under international oversight.
The agreement is expected to unfold over nearly a year, with each phase tied to specific benchmarks. Those include the collection and destruction of weapons, dismantling Hamas' tunnel network, the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the establishment of a new technocratic Palestinian administration. Reconstruction of Gaza—where much of the infrastructure has been devastated by the war—is expected to begin alongside the security measures, backed by billions of dollars in international assistance.
Officials stressed on a conference call with reporters on July 30 that progress will be conditional. If either side fails to meet its obligations during any stage, implementation will stop and the next phase will not begin until compliance is restored. Despite those safeguards, U.S. negotiators say they are cautiously optimistic that both parties recognize the opportunity to bring lasting stability to the region.
The announcement comes roughly nine months after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire negotiated by presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner. That truce largely halted the fighting, but difficult issues—including Hamas' disarmament and Gaza's long-term governance—had remained unresolved until now. Even so, major questions remain. Israel has not formally endorsed every aspect of the new framework, and Hamas has indicated that any disarmament is contingent on Israel fulfilling its own commitments, making implementation the agreement's biggest challenge.