Trump Gaza Deal: Hamas Conditions, Israel Silent
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- Trump's Board of Peace released a 15-point plan on Friday, a day after Trump announced a Gaza deal to begin disarming Hamas, calling for Israel to end attacks and Hamas to surrender weapons.
- Hamas responded that the "first step" is Israel committing to end attacks, linking the handover of what it called "heavy weapons" to a list of other conditions.
- The Israeli government has not issued a formal statement on Trump's announcement; the plan gives the parties two weeks to set a schedule, extendable by an international verification committee.
- Experts and officials have raised doubts about whether both sides will follow through, specifically on Hamas relinquishing all weapons and Israel ceasing attacks as a precondition for further progress.
- The Israeli military has carried out frequent airstrikes since the October cease-fire, saying it targets Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad; Netanyahu said last month Israel was killing planners of the October 2023 attack and elite Hamas fighters.
Why it matters: Hamas has publicly conditioned disarmament on Israel halting attacks first, while Israel has offered no formal response — and Israeli airstrikes have continued regularly since the October cease-fire, making the deal's two-week implementation window the first concrete test of whether the agreement produces ground-level de-escalation or collapses before it begins.
