Gaza's civil defense service reported recovering 112 bodies from a destroyed residential block in Gaza City, including 40 children and 38 women, as Israeli airstrikes continued across the territory in the days following President Donald Trump's announcement of a Hamas disarmament agreement [33][1][17]. Mohammed Abu Dan, supervisor of the recovery operation, said crews were "digging with their hands through masses of reinforced concrete" and that many bodies disintegrated due to the intensity of the explosions [33]. Israeli strikes killed at least eight Palestinians in Gaza two days after the plan was unveiled, and a separate airstrike destroyed a medicine warehouse at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah [17][6].
Trump announced from Camp David that the Board of Peace had reached "a historic agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza," stating that Israel was "very happy" with the deal and had been "very cooperative" [2][20][35]. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hailed the agreement as another step toward peace in the Middle East [20]. Board of Peace Chief Executive Nickolay Mladenov said negotiations lasted months and that "there were several points when I did not believe we would make it," adding that "what the agreement says matters, but what happens next matters even more" [14][8].
The agreement's core dispute is sequencing. Hamas negotiator Ghazi Hamad stated that "we will not take any action regarding disarmament prior to Israel's withdrawal from the strip," conditioning any weapons transfer on a complete Israeli troop withdrawal, an end to strikes and assassinations, reconstruction, and entry of the Palestinian administrative committee [20][36][10]. Israeli officials stated the opposite position: that there will be no withdrawal from areas Israel holds in Gaza — approximately 60 percent of the territory — before Hamas is disarmed and the strip demilitarized [11][20]. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said "disarmament means the weapons out of Gaza, they have no control of the weapons, and then we can move forward" [20]. Defense Minister Israel Katz stated Israel would not abandon the Yellow Line "Ni un milímetro" (Not one millimeter) [8].
Israeli military operations continued as the diplomatic announcement was made. The Israeli military stated that strikes near Al-Aqsa hospital targeted five Hamas weapons depots and accused the group of using health infrastructure as human shields [15]. The military also stated it killed two Hamas commanders in airstrikes, including a Nukhba special forces cell commander who participated in the October 2023 attack [27]. Dr. Khalil al-Daqran of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital called the warehouse destruction "ein abscheuliches Verbrechen" (an abominable crime) [6]. A displaced Palestinian woman sheltering near the hospital described returning to find her camp destroyed: "Der Angriff begann, dann kehrten wir ins Lager zurück – es gab kein Lager mehr" (The attack began, then we returned to the camp — there was no camp anymore) [6].
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir rejected the agreement outright, stating that "a commitment to stop the assassinations of [Hamas's] murderers is tantamount to agreeing to Hamas organising for the next massacre" and insisting that "the assassinations in Gaza must continue, the encouragement of emigration must happen, Israel must win" [25][22]. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly commented on the agreement [2][6]. Pollster Dahlia Scheindlin stated that "Netanyahu's considerations have nothing to do with public trauma, and everything to do with politics" [25][22]. Nimrod Goren, president of the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies, said Netanyahu "will make sure Trump gets his announcement, his signing ceremony and all the optics are in place, but I don't see him withdrawing from Gaza" [25].
Gaza residents expressed distrust in the agreement's prospects. Ghazal Astal, a resident of Khan Yunis, said: "Die Versprechungen, von denen ständig die Rede ist, werden nie eingelöst" (The promises that are constantly talked about are never kept) [30]. Karim Alian of Gaza City demanded visible Israeli withdrawal before any disarmament discussion: "Bevor wir über ein Abkommen, die Entwaffnung der Gruppen und der Hamas in Gaza sprechen: Die Israelis sollen sich zurückziehen" (Before we talk about an agreement, the disarmament of groups and Hamas in Gaza: the Israelis should withdraw) [30]. Tel Aviv resident Ron Akreman expressed resigned acceptance: "Diese Vereinbarung mit der Hamas ist genauso schlecht wie alle Abkommen, die Trump unterzeichnet. Dennoch bin ich der Meinung, dass Israel zustimmen sollte" (This agreement with Hamas is as bad as all the deals Trump signs. Nevertheless, I think Israel should agree) [30].
International governments welcomed the deal while conditioning their support on implementation. Saudi Arabia called it "a historic agreement on the demilitarisation" of Gaza while stressing the need for complete Israeli withdrawal, an international stabilisation force, and a political process for Palestinian self-determination [12]. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Trump's "courageous leadership" and expressed hope for concrete steps toward an independent Palestinian state [5]. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the plan "a constructive step towards peace" but cautioned that "a lot needs to fall in place for this to work" [34]. UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the agreement as "the only good news in recent days" and said "the fighting must stop on all fronts in the region" [20][14]. China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Sun Lei, called for full ceasefire implementation and a return to the two-state solution [43].
Analysts identified structural obstacles to implementation. Israeli security expert Kobi Michael noted "at least three versions of this so-called agreement" — Hamas's conditional version, Trump's version of disarmament followed by withdrawal, and Mladenov's version of a breakthrough [30]. Andreas Krieg of King's College London assessed that Hamas made "a tactical maneuver" by signing and that "Hamas is not a conventional army where someone at headquarters gives an order and all units obey immediately" [8]. Muhammad Shehada of the European Council on Foreign Relations called the agreement "lleno de agujeros, lagunas y potenciales minas" (full of holes, gaps, and potential mines) and argued it is "políticamente imposible que Israel avance en esta dirección con las elecciones en ciernes" (politically impossible for Israel to move in this direction with elections looming) [8]. The proposed International Stabilization Force faces differing expectations, with Israel seeking military freedom of action and troop-contributing countries wanting a traditional peacekeeping mission [39].
Palestinian rival factions added another dimension of opposition. Fatah boycotted Cairo talks on Hamas disarmament, with Fatah spokesman Abdel Fattah Dawla stating Hamas is "obligated to implement the terms of the ceasefire agreement that it signed unilaterally, which includes disarming" [32]. A senior PLO official warned against "an attempt to create an alternative framework to the PLO" [32]. The PFLP's Omar Murad stated that "the resistance's weapons have never been a tool of chaos but rather a means of protection for the Palestinian people," and the DFLP's Qais Abu Leila stressed that any arrangements concerning resistance weapons must be based on a unified Palestinian position [46]. Iran International reported that IRGC commanders urged a Hamas delegation not to rush into the agreement and to prolong negotiations instead [38].
In Washington, Representative Sean Casten introduced the Ceasefire Compliance Act of 2026, which would prohibit the use of US-origin defense articles in Gaza and the West Bank unless Israel is certified as halting military operations and ensuring humanitarian access [41]. The Board of Peace estimated the disarmament process could take 200 to 350 days according to one official [11], while another representative estimated 200 to 320 days [13]. The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza stated it is ready to assume responsibility, saying "Wir sind bereit — die Menschen in Gaza haben lange genug gewartet" (We are ready — the people of Gaza have waited long enough) [24].