Israeli minister compares Donald Trump's peace deal with Hamas as 'tantamount to agreeing next October 7 massacre'

An Israeli minister has compared Donald Trump's deal with Hamas as "tantamount to agreeing next October 7 massacre".

The US president declared on social media that the "Board of Peace" had reached a "HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza," describing it as "a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY."

However, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir branded the arrangement "unacceptable," warning it was "tantamount to agreeing to Hamas organising for the next massacre."

The agreement is designed to advance the long-delayed second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan, which Mr Trump brokered and which has been in effect since October.

Weapons held by the terrorist group have remained one of the central obstacles to progress.

The two sides remain locked in a standoff over the sequencing of the deal's key provisions.

An Israeli political source stated "that there will be no withdrawal whatsoever" unless Hamas undergoes "a genuine disarmament," having previously listed full demilitarisation of the Strip as a precondition for any process.

Hamas, for its part, declared that it would not lay down its arms before Israeli forces depart.

Speaking at Camp David, Mr Trump insisted the Israelis were on board: "We do have an understanding with Israel. Israel's very happy about it."

Yet the Israeli source also revealed that "the issue of Gaza did not come up" during this week's meeting between the US President and Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington — a claim that sits uneasily alongside the president's assertion of mutual satisfaction.

Hamas said it expected mediators and Trump's Board of Peace to guarantee Israeli compliance with the withdrawal terms.

Under the roadmap, the National Committee for Administration of Gaza — a body established as part of Trump's plan to manage day-to-day governance in the territory — will oversee internal security and carry out a phased assumption of full authority.

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The decommissioning process covers Hamas's heavy weaponry, military production facilities, arms depots and tunnel networks.

A diplomatic source, speaking anonymously, said the plan "offers a balanced and pragmatic path forward," with "no exceptions for certain weapons or certain people."

Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas's negotiating team, framed the arrangement as a sacrifice, saying the movement was making "concessions for the sake of our people in the Gaza Strip."

He insisted that Israel would play no role in the disarmament process.

"The National Committee is the body that will undertake this task," Hamad said, ruling out any direct Israeli involvement in weapons collection.

Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's high representative for Gaza, acknowledged that the deal "took months of very difficult negotiations," but stressed that what follows is even more critical.

"Implementation and verification have to be real," he wrote on X. "Withdrawal must move in lockstep with decommissioning."

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas offered a guarded endorsement, noting that "a lot needs to fall in place for this to work."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was more effusive, calling the announcement "the only good news in recent days" amid the wider Middle East conflict and its regional repercussions.

Despite the ceasefire arrangement, the violence in Gaza has not ceased.

Israeli airstrikes killed at least four people, two of them children, according to health officials in the territory.

The new agreement demands an immediate halt to military operations by all parties and calls for the deployment of an International Stabilisation Force to create a buffer between Israeli troops and zones under NCAG control.

Mr Trump described the deal as a vital step towards Gaza being administered by a new Palestinian government working in close coordination with the Board of Peace.

"At the same time, Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer used as a base for terror attacks," he added.

The Board of Peace confirmed on X that Hamas had "agreed to a detailed Roadmap for implementing the next phases of the Gaza ceasefire," adding: "Our focus now turns to implementation."

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