Trump's Hamas Disarmament Deal Faces Israeli Doubts
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- Trump announced Hamas agreed to disarm under a US-backed Gaza roadmap, but the promise has collided with Israeli strikes that have continued since he first spoke about the deal late Thursday in Washington.
- The roadmap requires Hamas and allied groups to hand over weapons to a new technocratic government, specifies Israel would not be involved in dismantling those weapons, and obligates Israel to halt all military operations in Gaza so the transition can proceed.
- The October 2025 ceasefire ended major combat and returned Israeli hostages, but negotiations stalled as both sides accused each other of violations—Hamas kept its weapons and Israeli troops did not withdraw from the territory.
- Since that October ceasefire, Israel has killed more than 1,200 Palestinians in Gaza and expanded the territory it controls, while five Israeli soldiers have also been killed in militant attacks.
- Israeli officials speaking anonymously told reporters the roadmap does not match Israel's interests and confirmed Israel will not withdraw from the Yellow Line, where the military has built an earthen barrier and developed a backed-by-intelligence "security zone."
- Most of Gaza's 2 million Palestinians remain displaced or living in tent camps, with overcrowding causing rodent infestations and chickenpox outbreaks; Israel's broader offensive since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack has killed more than 73,300 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Why it matters: The roadmap structurally excludes Israel from dismantling Hamas weapons and demands it halt military operations—terms Israeli officials have already rejected on background, meaning the deal's viability depends on Israel reversing its current expansion in Gaza, which has displaced most of the 2 million residents. Without Israeli buy-in, the 73,300-death toll since October 2023 continues to climb regardless of Trump's announcement.
