Hamas says it agrees to written Gaza ceasefire deal for 2nd phase tied to Israeli compliance

Hamas on Friday agreed to a written agreement for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire based on a "comprehensive package" of reciprocal and simultaneous commitments, conditional on Israel's full implementation of the first phase, according to senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad.

Hamad, a member of Hamas' political bureau and its negotiating delegation, said the group had approved a "clear, written agreement" covering Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction, the deployment of international forces, the assumption of duties by the National Committee for Administration of Gaza, and weapons arrangements.

He said implementation of the second phase depends on Israel first fulfilling all of its obligations under the first phase, adding that the agreement should be treated as a single, integrated package.

"If Israel does not implement (its obligations under the agreement), we will not implement ours either," Hamad said.

On the weapons issue, Hamad said the agreement provides for heavy weapons to be placed under the responsibility of the National Committee for Administration of Gaza (NCAG) as the remaining provisions are implemented.

Those provisions, he said, include Israel's gradual withdrawal from Gaza leading to a full pullout, the National Committee assuming its duties, the deployment of international forces, and the dismantling of armed gangs that he said operate on "Israel's behalf".

READ: Palestinian sources reveal roadmap for 2nd phase of Gaza ceasefire agreement

Hamad said the agreement also provides for an international oversight committee to monitor implementation on an ongoing basis.

He said Hamas will participate in a new round of talks in the coming days to finalise implementation mechanisms and timelines. The movement's negotiating delegation is expected to meet mediators, US representatives, and Nikolay Mladenov, whom Hamad identified as the high representative of the Board of Peace.

Hamad noted that Israel has not officially announced its approval of the agreement.

He described the agreement as "painful and difficult" for Hamas, saying the movement had hoped for a better deal but accepted it because of conditions in Gaza, what he described as an ongoing "genocide," and the humanitarian catastrophe.

He said Hamas accepted the agreement to spare Gaza further destruction and what he described as Israeli "satanic" plans to displace Palestinians from the enclave and continue the offensive.

Hamad added that the agreement followed "Palestinian national consultations and meetings with Palestinian factions" to ensure a unified, consensus-based Palestinian position.

Earlier, in a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced a "major milestone" towards ending the war in Gaza, saying his "Board of Peace" had reached an agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups. The 15-point roadmap called on both Israel and Hamas, together with other Palestinian factions, to implement the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement, in particular the end to ​military operations in Gaza.

The document outlined steps to allow the NCAG to assume responsibility for civil governance in Gaza, and said it would oversee ​a process to "decommission and ⁠store heavy weapons, military production sites, depots of weapons, and tunnels".

"This process shall be linked to an Israeli withdrawal, in phases, from the areas under its control in Gaza," it said, adding that no weapons would be handed over to Israel or non-Palestinian parties.

The announcement followed months of faltering efforts to keep the ceasefire agreement reached last year in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on track, and ​it was not immediately clear how strongly either Hamas or Israel stood behind it.

Previous attempts to reach an agreement have foundered amid mutual suspicion and each side's insistence ​that the other must move first.

Reactions to news of the Gaza disarmament agreement poured in from all around the world, with countries calling for swift implementation.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot on Friday welcomed the reported agreement on the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, calling it a potential step toward ending the conflict and advancing lasting peace.

"I welcome the reported agreement on the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. If implemented in full and by all parties, it could mark an important step towards ending the conflict and towards lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike," Prevot said on X.

He praised the mediation efforts led by Trump, Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye, as well as the facilitation efforts of former UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process Nicolay Mladenov.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also welcomed the reported agreement, saying the plan could be a "constructive step towards peace".

In a statement shared on X, Kallas said the implementation of the plan would depend on the "full commitment of all parties" involved.

"A lot needs to fall in place for this to work. Success depends on the full commitment of all parties. Verifying Hamas’ compliance will be a significant challenge. Israel would need to eventually withdraw from Gaza," she said.

Kallas said the EU was ready to support the next stages of the agreement, including the deployment of the National Committee and the International Stabilisation Force.

France called for the agreement's full implementation and immediate large-scale humanitarian access to the enclave.

In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux praised diplomatic efforts by the US and regional mediators, particularly Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye, saying they had made this outcome possible.

An Israeli official said Israel's position remained that "there will be no withdrawal whatsoever of the IDF from the current Yellow Line unless Hamas undergoes a genuine disarmament", referring to a military ​demarcation line agreed in the ceasefire.

Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the far-right Jewish Power party, said in his Telegram channel that the draft agreement was unacceptable, and said Israel's policy of assassinating Hamas ​leaders must continue.

However, Trump said that Israel was "very happy" with the agreement.

"We do have ​an understanding with Israel. Israel is ⁠very happy about it. Israel helped us, ​and they've been very good," Trump said. "Will it ​go through its ups and downs? It's a very complex situation over there."

Trump called the agreement a ​major breakthrough, saying nobody had thought ​it would be possible to disarm Hamas.

"It's a big ‌step ⁠for the Middle East, and people are really impressed by it, and they're surprised by it."

Within hours of Trump's announcement, Gazan medical authorities said one Palestinian was killed and several others had been wounded in at least two Israeli airstrikes and by gunfire in the enclave.

The Israeli military said it was reviewing one incident in which a strike intended to hit a member of Hamas' armed wing was diverted after uninvolved individuals were identified. It said it was unaware of the shooting.

On the ground, Gazans, still struggling with basic survival after the ​Israeli military campaign, remained sceptical, saying little had changed.

Inside a tent encampment in Gaza City, where women were busy filling plastic jerrycans ​with water, displaced Palestinians urged Trump to compel Israel to abide by the agreement.

"You Trump, you should start it from your end. Ceasefire, stop the assassinations and complete the Israeli army's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip," said Samir ‌Ayad, 60.

"We are ⁠not seeing any agreement at all, nothing from what he (Trump) is saying," he told Reuters.