Donald Trump has announced a breakthrough in negotiations over the disarmament of Hamas in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, describing the deal as a major step towards ending the conflict. The US President's announcement was immediately met with scepticism from Israeli government officials, who have made clear they will not accept any arrangement that leaves their forces in a vulnerable position.
Hamas said on Friday that it had reached an agreement to disarm, a significant move that could help bring the war in Gaza to an end. In the same breath, however, the group acknowledged that the process would encounter many hurdles and could take a long time to complete, if it is ever achieved. The cautious tone reflected the deep uncertainty surrounding the announcement.
The most immediate problem is sequencing. Israel and Hamas continue to insist that the other side must make the first move towards disarmament and withdrawal. Israel has refused to withdraw its troops before Hamas has disarmed, while Hamas has indicated that a credible Israeli commitment to leaving Gaza is a precondition for any handover of weapons.
Trump hailed the agreement as a «major milestone» in the peace process, and a full «roadmap» for peace in Gaza has now been published. Yet the reaction from the region suggests that the two parties remain far apart. Each side has pointed the finger at the other over who should act first, leaving the deal in a fragile position.
The agreement represents a high-stakes test for the ceasefire arrangements and for Washington's role as mediator. With both sides publicly locked into opposing interpretations of the plan, the coming days are likely to reveal whether the declared breakthrough can be translated into practical steps on the ground.
There is as yet no visible agreement on the practical details of the plan, including the order of steps, the timeline, or the security guarantees Israel says it needs. While Israel has said it needs those guarantees before any withdrawal, Hamas has said disarmament will follow a credible commitment to leave. No public indication has emerged that either side has received the reassurances it is seeking. Those details are not incidental; they are the substance of any lasting peace.
A credible path towards disarmament and Israeli withdrawal could help end the war in Gaza, as Hamas itself acknowledged. The announcement has raised hopes, but the many hurdles that remain mean it is far from certain that those hopes will be fulfilled.
For now, the deal exists in principle. Its future depends on the very question that has divided the two sides from the start: who moves first. The answer will determine whether Trump's «milestone» becomes a turning point or yet another stalled round of Middle East diplomacy.
