Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty sought to “clarify” Egypt’s view of President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan in an interview Thursday with the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, saying it focuses on concentrating and handing over weapons — not dismantling them.
Asked whether Hamas would agree to disarm, Abdelatty said such matters would be resolved through understandings among Palestinian factions. “I believe it is possible, within an inter-factional understanding, to reach a formula that includes a gradual transfer of weapons within a Palestinian-Palestinian framework,” he said.
Trump: 'Phase two is moving along, it's going to happen'
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Meanwhile, the IDF said earlier Friday that forces from a Southern Brigade combat team operating in central Gaza identified a militant who crossed the yellow line and approached them in a manner that posed an immediate threat. After the identification, the air force, guided by ground forces, struck and killed the militant. “IDF forces under Southern Command are deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to act to remove any immediate threat,” the military said.
In the background of a summit held by US Central Command in Doha, where representatives from about 45 countries discussed the establishment of an International Stabilization Force, Trump’s Gaza plan is also in focus. In Washington, officials have been discussing a gradual move to the second phase of the Israel-Hamas agreement.
Trump said earlier this month that “phase two in Gaza will happen soon,” but Western diplomats familiar with the details said the plan does not set a clear timeline for the transition. They said the decision is viewed as one to be made by the United States based on developments on the ground.
The diplomats said US officials are already working on various components of the second phase, but noted that progress has stalled since the killing of senior Hamas figure Raad Saad and amid the fact that the remains of Ran Gvili, the last fallen hostage, are still being held in Gaza. According to the diplomats, hopes at US Central Command are to move to the next phase as soon as possible, but it remains unclear whether Hamas is able to locate Gvili’s remains. As a result, the transition to phase two is seen as a gradual process rather than a single formal declaration tied to a specific date.
First published: 22:35, 12.19.25