President Donald Trump said Friday that Israel was “very happy” with a newly announced agreement aimed at disarming Hamas, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remained publicly silent and senior Israeli officials indicated that Jerusalem had not accepted the proposal in its current form.
Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David, Trump described the agreement as a major breakthrough in his administration’s effort to end the Israel-Hamas war and establish a new governing authority in the Gaza Strip.
“We do have an understanding with Israel,” Trump said when asked whether Jerusalem had agreed to honor the deal. “Israel is very happy about it. Israel helped us, and they’ve been very good.”
Trump acknowledged that implementation could face difficulties but said the agreement represented progress few believed possible. He said Hamas would surrender its weapons through a process overseen by his U.S.-backed Board of Peace.
However, Netanyahu has not publicly endorsed the agreement, and statements attributed to a senior Israeli official directly contradicted Trump’s characterization of Israel’s position. The official said Israel would not withdraw its forces from their present defensive positions until Hamas had undergone “genuine disarmament.”
The differences go beyond diplomatic language.
The 15-point roadmap reportedly calls for Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations to decommission and store heavy weapons, military production facilities, weapons depots and tunnels under the supervision of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a Palestinian technocratic body.
The weapons would not be transferred to Israel or another non-Palestinian party. Hamas official Ghazi Hamad also avoided using the word “disarmament,” describing the proposal instead as a “comprehensive framework.”
Hamad said Hamas would not begin placing weapons into storage until Israel stopped its military operations, increased humanitarian access and withdrew its forces to positions established under the previous Sharm el-Sheikh agreement.
“We will not take any action regarding disarmament prior to Israel’s withdrawal from the Strip,” Hamad said Thursday.
An Israeli official responded that there would be no Israel Defense Forces withdrawal from the current Yellow Line until Hamas had surrendered its weapons in a verifiable manner. The disagreement leaves both sides demanding that the other act first—the same obstacle that has repeatedly stalled earlier negotiations.
Trump announced Thursday that his Board of Peace had reached a “historic” agreement for the complete, phased disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. Under the proposed process, Israeli forces would gradually withdraw while an International Stabilization Force and newly organized Palestinian police secured the territory.
Yet a U.S. official acknowledged that Israel remained “very skeptical” that Hamas would actually relinquish its weapons. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the draft unacceptable and urged Israel to continue targeting Hamas leaders.
he concern in Jerusalem is that Hamas could place selected heavy weapons in storage while preserving command networks, operatives, concealed arms and the ideological infrastructure needed to rebuild its military capabilities.
Israel has seen similar patterns before. Hamas has accepted temporary ceasefires and tactical pauses while consistently refusing to recognize Israel’s legitimacy or abandon what it calls “armed resistance.”
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