Trump's Gaza Roadmap: Disarmament and Withdrawal in Tandem
A U.S.-brokered roadmap for Gaza ties Israeli withdrawal to verified disarmament of Hamas, with a new government and peacekeepers planned.
A new U.S.-brokered plan to end the Gaza war is built on a simple but contentious trade: Hamas gives up its weapons, and Israel pulls its troops out. The proposal, announced by President Donald Trump in late July, has been accepted by Hamas but faces resistance from Israel, which insists on complete disarmament before any withdrawal.
The plan, developed by Trump's "Board of Peace," is a 15-point roadmap meant to build on a 2025 ceasefire that reduced violence but failed to stop Israeli attacks or secure disarmament. It calls for an immediate halt to all military operations and links Israel's phased withdrawal to the verified disarmament of all militias, including Hamas.
Under the roadmap, a new Palestinian technocratic government, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, would take over civil governance. It would oversee the decommissioning and storage of heavy weapons, military production sites, depots, and tunnels. An International Stabilization Force (ISF) would deploy to secure areas vacated by Israeli forces, train new Palestinian police, and support aid deliveries.
The process is intended to be phased. Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's Gaza envoy, said Israel would withdraw "sector by sector" as each area is verified to be weapon-free. Hamas, however, says it is bound only to the original roadmap text, which allows 14 days to work out a disarmament timeline—a deadline that can be extended.
On the ground, Israel has scaled back attacks since the plan was announced, saying it would act only against immediate threats. However, the October 2025 truce has not held fully; Gaza health authorities report over 1,200 Palestinian deaths from Israeli strikes since then. Israeli forces control about two-thirds of Gaza, and nearly all of the territory's 2 million residents are confined to a narrow coastal strip.
The ISF is still months from deployment, with only Morocco and Uganda pledging troops so far. A logistics base is being set up near the Kerem Shalom crossing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the plan is unacceptable as it stands, reiterating that Israel will not withdraw until disarmament is complete.