The Board of Peace announced Thursday that Hamas has agreed to a detailed roadmap for implementing the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire, marking what the body called the first time the militant group has officially committed to a plan for relinquishing its weapons. The announcement, posted to X at 7:49 PM on July 30, 2026, capped months of negotiations in Cairo between Hamas and mediators from Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, and the United States, and set in motion a process that is expected to determine whether Israeli forces begin withdrawing from the Gaza Strip.
The Full Announcement
The Board of Peace’s account posted the announcement in full, writing: “The Board of Peace and the mediating countries of Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, and the United States today are pleased to announce that Hamas has agreed to a detailed Roadmap for implementing the next phases of the Gaza ceasefire. The agreement concludes months of intensive, good faith negotiations to advance President Donald J. Trump’s vision for establishing new governance, security, humanitarian relief, reconstruction, and economic recovery in Gaza as set out in the Comprehensive Peace Plan and U.N. Security Council Resolution 2803. The Roadmap represents a historic breakthrough. For the first time, Hamas officially has committed to an actionable plan for relinquishing all its weapons, which will be followed by Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. It holds the promise of delivering significant benefits to the people of Gaza, who have waited for too long for a better future, and security to the people of Israel. Our focus now turns to implementation. The Board of Peace has worked closely with the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG). It will soon begin a phased transition toward full authority, backed by the International Stabilization Force (ISF), and will accelerate implementation of the rule of law, security, and humanitarian improvement in Gaza.”
President Trump amplified the news separately on Truth Social, writing that the agreement represented “a HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza,” and that disarmament would proceed in phases. He added that the deal was “a critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace,” and that “Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer used as a base for terror attacks.” Trump thanked Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye, along with his negotiating team, and said the threat that emerged from Gaza on October 7 “will NOT be allowed to rebuild.”
How the Board of Peace Was Built
Thursday’s roadmap is the latest step in a process that began on September 29, 2025, when Trump unveiled a 20-point Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict. The plan’s first phase led to a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas days later and the return of all living and deceased hostages. On November 17, 2025, the U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 2803 by a vote of 13 in favor to none against, with China and Russia abstaining, formally endorsing the plan, welcoming the creation of the Board of Peace as a transitional governing administration chaired by Trump, and authorizing member states to establish the International Stabilization Force.
Trump signed the Board of Peace’s founding charter on January 16, 2026, during a ceremony that drew representatives from more than 40 nations, and named himself chairman. Dr. Ali Sha’ath was appointed to lead the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov was named High Representative for Gaza, and U.S. Major General Jasper Jeffers was appointed commander of the International Stabilization Force. Under Resolution 2803, the Board and the international forces it authorizes are permitted to operate until December 31, 2027, subject to further Security Council action, and the Board is required to submit a written progress report to the Council every six months.
What the Roadmap Covers
According to details shared with reporters by U.S. and Board of Peace officials on a call Thursday, the new roadmap effectively converts the original 20-point plan into an operational framework that will be refined over the coming weeks. Under the agreement, a transitional authority — the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza — would hold a monopoly on weapons inside the Gaza Strip, while Hamas would be required to give up any role in governing the territory. Police weapons are expected to be the first to be surrendered, with a newly formed police authority taking control of them, recruiting new officers, and vetting those already serving.
Officials briefed on the plan said it also calls for the elimination of tunnels, arms stockpiles, and weapons production facilities, with the goal that no militant infrastructure remains in Gaza once the process concludes. Senior Board of Peace officials told The Jerusalem Post that once the roadmap is formally approved, implementation would begin with a two-week organizational period, and that the deal additionally includes a peace agreement among Gaza’s rival factions intended to prevent internal violence. Officials described the International Stabilization Force’s role as dismantling heavy weapons and tunnels, training a local police force, and replacing Israeli forces as they withdraw.
Mladenov, in a statement issued shortly after the Board of Peace’s post, framed the roadmap as pointing toward a broader political resolution, saying: “Ahead of us is a Gaza rebuilt, governed by Palestinians and at peace with Israel and a political horizon to a meaningful resolution of the Israeli Palestinian conflict.”
Hamas and Israel Offer Different Accounts
Despite the Board of Peace’s characterization of the roadmap as a finished agreement, a Hamas source told Reuters that what the group had accepted was still a “draft agreement.” That source said the draft stipulates heavy weapons would be stored under the control of a Palestinian administration rather than surrendered outright, and that the weapons could not be transferred to Israel. Ghazi Hamad, a member of the Hamas negotiating team, told Al Jazeera: “We will not take any action regarding disarmament prior to Israel’s withdrawal from the Strip.”
Israeli officials, meanwhile, indicated before Trump’s announcement that they had rejected an earlier version of the proposal. An Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity said Israel demands “the complete disarmament of Hamas, including the removal of weapons from Gaza and the complete demilitarization of the Strip as a precondition for any process,” and said the 15-point document under discussion “does not provide a satisfactory response to these demands,” adding that Israel had conveyed its objections. A U.S. official told reporters separately that Israel remains “very skeptical that Hamas will disarm,” though the official said Washington was “very confident they will adhere to it,” warning that Trump “would be very, very disappointed” if Hamas failed to comply. Another U.S. official described the arrangement as a “conditions-based deal,” built on the assumption that neither side trusts the other, meaning every stage of the roadmap is contingent on prior steps being completed.
Timeline Remains Unsettled
Officials have offered conflicting estimates for how long full implementation might take. A Board of Peace official gave an estimate of 200 to 320 days, though a separate U.S. official downplayed that figure and suggested progress could come within the next month or two. That timeline differs from an earlier plan submitted by Mladenov in March, which envisioned an eight-month, multiphase disarmament process beginning with a two-week cessation of hostilities and humanitarian measures, followed by a second phase — running from roughly day 16 to day 60 — in which Hamas and other armed factions would begin surrendering weapons.
Complicating the picture further, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel intends to expand the territory under its military control to 70% of the Gaza Strip, and it remains unclear how many international troops will ultimately be available to deploy with the Stabilization Force or on what timeline Israeli forces would withdraw from areas they currently occupy.
Violence Continues Despite the Ceasefire
The announcement came against the backdrop of continued bloodshed in Gaza. Health officials said Israeli strikes on Thursday killed at least six Palestinians, including two children, with separate strikes killing two children, a woman, and three men. The Israeli military said it had struck Hamas militants operating in the enclave. Since the ceasefire took hold in October, more than 1,200 Palestinians — mostly civilians — have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to Gaza health officials, while Israeli authorities have reported four Israeli soldiers killed by militants over the same period. Hamas has not disclosed its own losses.
What Happens Next
With the roadmap now announced, attention shifts to the Board of Peace’s ability to translate a negotiated framework into action on the ground — starting with the surrender of police-level weapons, the vetting of a new Palestinian police force, and the phased handover of authority to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza. Whether Hamas ultimately disarms as described, and whether Israel accepts the terms as sufficient to begin its own withdrawal, will determine whether Thursday’s announcement marks the turning point the Board of Peace described, or another milestone in a process that has already taken far longer than mediators originally hoped.