The Media Line: ‘A Big Step for the Middle East’: President Trump Hails Hamas Disarmament Plan  

‘A Big Step for the Middle East’: President Trump Hails Hamas Disarmament Plan  

By The Media Line Staff  

US President Donald Trump defended a newly announced Gaza agreement on Friday, calling it “a big step for the Middle East,” while declining to say whether the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would withdraw from the Gaza Strip as part of the arrangement.  

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David, President Trump was asked about a possible Israeli withdrawal from Gaza under the agreement with Hamas but did not directly answer. Referring to the agreement, which includes the terror group’s disarmament, the president said it was “a big step for the Middle East” and added that “Israel is very happy.”  

The comments came after the Gaza Peace Council released what it described as a roadmap for implementing Trump’s Gaza plan. Under the published principles, a timeline and implementation mechanisms are to be established within 14 days. The National Committee for the Management of Gaza, described as a “technocratic government,” would then enter the Strip, followed by deployment of the International Stabilization Force.  

The framework states that a process would begin to decommission and store “heavy weapons, sites for producing combat equipment, weapons warehouses and tunnels.” It says that process “will be linked to a gradual Israeli withdrawal from areas under its control in the Gaza Strip and to the disarmament of armed militias.”  

A political source reiterated that Israel’s position has not changed, saying there would be no Israeli military withdrawal before Hamas is disarmed.  

“Regarding various publications about political progress in the Gaza Strip, Israel has reiterated and clarified that there will be no withdrawal of the IDF from the current yellow line without real disarmament of Hamas from its weapons,” the source said. A senior Israeli official separately said Israeli troops would not withdraw from Gaza without “genuine” disarmament of Hamas.  

Hamas said implementation of the ceasefire’s second phase depends on Israel fully carrying out the first phase. The terror group said discussions over heavy weapons were conditioned on “cessation of aggression, withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, early reconstruction, entry of an administrative committee, deployment of an international defense force, dismantling of armed gangs and militias and establishment of a Palestinian state.”  

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas welcomed the agreement as “a constructive step,” while cautioning that “a lot needs to fall into place for this to work.”  

“Its success depends on commitment from all sides. Ensuring Hamas complies will be a significant challenge, while Israel will ultimately need to withdraw from Gaza,” she said, adding that the European Union is ready to support the next steps.