Washington, July 31 (IANS) The so-called Board of Peace reached an agreement for the “complete disarmament” of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on social media.
“This agreement is a critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“At the same time, Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer used as a base for terror attacks,” he added.
The agreement will be carried out in structured phases, according to Trump, who noted that as disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilisation Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza’s security, Xinhua news agency reported.
He said Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye helped broker the agreement as mediators.
As of now, Hamas has yet to confirm the agreement.
Meanwhile, the Israeli prime minister’s office earlier released photographs showing Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump together. An Israeli official described their meeting as “very positive”.
Their talks were expected to focus on the war with Iran, negotiations involving Lebanon and efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, according to a White House official.
Netanyahu was also expected to present intelligence about alleged Iranian activity at Pickaxe Mountain, an underground facility believed to be connected to Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Trump, however, appeared irritated that the Israeli leader had publicly signalled his plan.
“I heard Bibi announce that,” Trump told Fox News, using Netanyahu’s nickname. “I said, ‘Why don’t you just tell it to me? Why do you have to announce it to the world?’”
The US president has signalled that he favours renewed diplomacy with Tehran, while Israel has pushed for sustained pressure on Iran.
–IANS
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