Trump Says Hamas Will Disarm in New Deal, But Hurdles Remain

President Trump announced a new agreement that he says will lead Hamas to fully disarm and remove Israeli forces from Gaza. However, a senior Hamas official told NPR that the group would only give up its weapons after Israel withdraws first. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet responded to the plan. The announcement came more than nine months after a ceasefire deal was first signed with U.S. help.

Trump said his 'Board of Peace' agreed to the plan with help from mediators in Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar. The deal still faces a big question: should Israel act first, or should Hamas? NPR's Franco Ordoñez says this disagreement is one of the main hurdles blocking the deal from moving forward. Republican strategist Alex Conant warned that Trump faces political consequences if the war with Iran continues and gas prices keep climbing.

In other Washington news, Trump is thinking about pulling back the nomination of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. Two Republican senators — John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — are refusing to support Blanche. They are upset about a Justice Department deal that ended Trump's lawsuit against the IRS. Trump said the withdrawal might only be temporary, lasting until those two senators leave office in January.

The senators want written proof from the Justice Department that two controversial agreements are no longer on the table. They also want more information about a tax deal that benefits Trump, his family, and his businesses. NPR's Ryan Lucas says Trump would rather pull Blanche's nomination than give senators guarantees about deals that help him personally.

The U.S. economy slowed down slightly between April and June, according to the Commerce Department. The country's gross domestic product, or GDP, grew at a yearly rate of 1.5%. That is lower than the 2.1% growth seen in the first three months of 2026. The slowdown was caused mainly by less government spending and a rise in imports, which are goods brought in from other countries.

Even so, economists say 1.5% growth is still much better than a recession, which is when the economy actually shrinks. NPR's Scott Horsley noted that consumer spending — the main force that drives the economy — stayed strong even as gasoline prices soared. However, some experts point out that much of this spending is coming from wealthier families who feel good about their finances because of a strong stock market and rising home prices. Horsley warned that if the stock market drops, those families may cut back on spending, which could slow the economy further.