US President Donald Trump said Monday that Hamas is willing to give up its weapons, offering an upbeat assessment of the Gaza peace process days after officials from his Board of Peace accused both Israel and Hamas of failing to fully implement the US-backed roadmap.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One earlier in the day, Trump said fighting in Gaza had declined significantly and pointed to the return of the hostages as evidence of the progress achieved through US diplomacy.
(Photo: Saul Loeb / AFP, Yariv Katz)
“Look at Gaza as an example,” Trump said. “Look at the fact we got all the hostages back.”
Trump also said Hamas was now willing to surrender its weapons, though he did not provide details on how or when that would happen, or say whether the terror group had already begun taking steps toward disarmament.
The remarks come as the question of Hamas’ weapons remains central to efforts to advance the next stages of the US-backed Gaza roadmap.
Board of Peace officials told ynet earlier this month that “both sides are still violating the 20-point agreement,” while saying their goal was to bring Israel and Hamas back into compliance so the disarmament process could move forward.
“We are trying to get the sides back on track in implementing the agreements,” the officials said. “The sooner the 20-point agreement is implemented, the sooner we can begin disarming Hamas of both heavy and light weapons.”
The officials criticized Hamas-linked violations, including kite launches from Gaza toward Israeli communities, but also sharply criticized recent IDF operations in the Strip. They argued that tactical Israeli actions were causing broader strategic damage and could undermine efforts to secure Hamas’ full disarmament. Israel has maintained that Hamas must be stripped of its weapons and military capabilities.
Trump, however, presented the direction of events in Gaza as evidence that Washington’s diplomatic strategy was succeeding.
He praised CIA Director John Ratcliffe and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for their roles in US diplomatic efforts.
“They’ve done an incredible job. Nobody could have done the job,” Trump said.
His assertion that Hamas is now willing to disarm could mark a significant development if followed by concrete steps, particularly as US officials continue trying to move both sides toward further implementation of the Gaza agreement.