Hamas agrees to disarm under Trump ceasefire deal

Hamas said Friday it had agreed to a deal that includes handing over its weapons to a Palestinian governing committee and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. The deal is aimed at implementing the long-stalled second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan brokered by US President Donald Trump, who on Thursday hailed the agreement for Hamas's "complete disarmament", calling it a "major milestone". Israel has yet to officially comment on the announcement, but a political source told AFP "that there will be no withdrawal whatsoever" from Israeli forces' current lines "unless Hamas undergoes a genuine disarmament". Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir denounced the agreement as "unacceptable", saying it was "tantamount to agreeing to Hamas organising for the next massacre". The Palestinian Islamist group's weapons have been one of the key sticking points in fully implementing the ceasefire deal, which has been in place since October. The Israeli source said that "the issue of Gaza did not come up" in this week's meeting between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington. But Trump maintained on Friday that Israel was pleased abo...