
Hamas has broken its silence and made one big demand after Donald Trump revealed a deal had been reached for the group to disarm and Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza. A Hamas official has now said the disarmament deal reached with the US must be "implemented in stages".
The official told Reuters Israel must begin implementing the first phase of the deal by withdrawing its forces from Gaza. This also includes the dismantling of "Israeli-backed armed militias" in Gaza. Hamas will then hand over weapons to the Palestinian National Committee for storage, dependent on Israel endorsing the agreement, the official adds. Hamas would then transfer its weapons to the Palestinian National Committee for storage, contingent on Israel approving the agreement, the official added.
Trump announced yesterday his Board of Peace has reached a "historic agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza".
"The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases," Trump said on Truth Social. However, Hamas official described the deal as a draft and US officials said Israel was skeptical the militant Palestinian group would surrender its weapons.
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