Hamas Weighs Gaza Disarmament Deal for Israeli Exit from 70% of Territory
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 31
Hamas Weighs Gaza Disarmament Deal for Israeli Exit from 70% of Territory
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 31
Summary
A new framework would tie Hamas weapons handovers to phased Israeli withdrawals from the roughly 70% of Gaza Israel now occupies—an unprecedented opening because Hamas has not previously agreed to disarm.
Egypt and Turkey helped secure Hamas's acceptance of the outline through political leader Khalil al Hayya, but Israel has publicly demanded full Hamas disarmament before any pullback, leaving the sequencing at the heart of the dispute.
Benjamin Netanyahu faces an end-October election and pressure from Washington, where Donald Trump wants a Gaza breakthrough before November midterms, while Hamas is weakened by Israeli killings and domestic Palestinian anger.
More than 2 million Gazans remain in catastrophic conditions after a war that the Hamas-run health ministry says killed over 70,000 Palestinians, and the report argues only a step-by-step process with sustained diplomacy has any chance of holding.
Could a phased 350-day disarmament plan finally end the Gaza war, or will deep mistrust derail this fragile diplomatic gamble?
With international forces stepping in, who will truly control Gaza's new technocratic government as Israel slowly withdraws?
Can this sequenced withdrawal prevent a wider regional explosion as West Bank violence reaches record highs in 2026?
Disarming Gaza: The 2026 "Board of Peace" Agreement, Zero-Trust Roadmap, and the Struggle for Palestinian Self-Governance
Overview
The July 2026 Gaza agreement, driven by devastating humanitarian conditions, saw Hamas agree to a phased disarmament-for-withdrawal plan to save the Palestinian people. Built on a strict 'zero trust' model due to deep animosity between Hamas and Israel, the process requires independent verification at every step and halts automatically if either side fails to meet its commitments. However, disputes over whether disarmament or Israeli withdrawal should come first threaten to collapse the deal. The Board of Peace, which oversees the agreement, lacks direct Palestinian representation, raising concerns about legitimacy and the risk of fragmented governance in Gaza.