Trump's Gaza Deal Raises Big Questions About Whether Both Sides Will Follow Through

President Donald Trump announced a new deal on Thursday to begin taking weapons away from Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip. The day after his announcement, a group called the Board of Peace released a detailed 15-point plan. But many experts and officials are asking whether Hamas and Israel will actually follow through on what the deal requires.

Hamas gave its first response to the deal on Friday. The group said the first step would be for Israel to commit to stopping its attacks in Gaza. Hamas also said that giving up what it called its 'heavy weapons' would only happen after a list of other conditions were met by Israel.

Israel's government did not release an official statement right away about Trump's announcement. However, a government official speaking without their name being used said that Israel's military would not pull back from its current position in Gaza without what they called 'genuine' disarmament by Hamas. The deal gives both sides two weeks to work out a schedule, and a special international committee can give them more time if needed.

The situation is complicated because a ceasefire deal was already made in October between Israel and Hamas. That deal required Israel's military to stop its attacks in Gaza. But since then, Israel has carried out many airstrikes, saying the strikes targeted Hamas fighters and members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another armed group in Gaza.

The new deal calls for Palestinian armed groups in Gaza to give up all their weapons after Israel lives up to its promises from the October ceasefire. Those promises include pulling troops back to an agreed line, stopping military operations, and allowing equipment into Gaza to remove rubble. More than 1,200 people have been killed in Gaza since the October ceasefire, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Giving up weapons is a very sensitive issue for Hamas. Armed struggle against Israel has long been a core part of the group's beliefs, and many Hamas members see handing over weapons as giving up completely. On Friday, a Hamas negotiator named Ghazi Hamad said the group was only discussing 'storing' its weapons under the watch of a Palestinian committee, not fully surrendering them.

Some experts think Hamas may be trying to shift responsibility onto Israel. Shira Efron, a researcher at a group called the Rand Corp, said Hamas now appears to be putting pressure on Israel to act first, knowing it will be very hard for Israel to agree to pull its troops out of Gaza. She warned that both sides could end up blaming each other while nothing actually changes on the ground.

A Palestinian analyst named Ibrahim Madhoun, who is close to Hamas, said the group's goal is to end the war but that Hamas worries Israel will find a way to avoid following through. Hard-line Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the agreement 'unacceptable to Israel' and said targeted killings in Gaza must continue. Many analysts also doubt Israel will agree to fully withdraw from Gaza, especially with national elections coming up in October.