Board of Peace Reverses Gaza Disarmament Terms to Align with Israel

The original agreement, championed by President Donald Trump as a diplomatic breakthrough, stipulated that Hamas would decommission its arsenal in lockstep with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) retreating to a designated “yellow line.” However, after days of friction with Israeli leadership, the Board of Peace issued a statement Monday asserting that IDF withdrawal will only commence once all weapons—including light arms and tunnels—are fully surrendered.

This interpretation directly contradicts earlier assurances from board envoy Nickolay Mladenov, who previously maintained that withdrawal and decommissioning must proceed simultaneously. Analysts, including Muhammad Shehada of the European Council on Foreign Relations, have characterized the move as a full-scale alignment with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy. Hamas has since challenged the board to provide a formal account of the original terms, while critics argue the reversal is a tactical sabotage of the peace process intended to leave Palestinian factions defenseless. Meanwhile, military operations continue, with recent strikes killing at least 18 Palestinians, signaling that the board's shift has done little to stabilize the region.