Middle East crisis live: Trump says ‘Israel is very happy’ with Gaza peace plan but doesn’t say if withdrawal or Hamas disarmament comes first

Wanderstayfinder.com – In further comments to Reuters, Ghazi Hamad said Hamas will hand over its weapons to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a new body established by the Board of Peace to oversee day-to-day affairs in the Palestinian territory. He said disarmament will be contingent on the withdrawal of Israeli troops, and that the NCAG and international force must enter Gaza and dismantle Israeli-backed militias. The Pentagon is considering reversing about half the staff cuts it made to a program dedicated to preventing wartime civilian casualties, the Atlantic reports, as the US military reckons with the human cost of its war against Iran – particularly the strike on a girls’ elementary school in Minab on the first day of the war that killed at least 168 people, most of them children.

After US defence secretary Pete Hegseth fired or reassigned almost all of the staff working on the program, the potential reversal now awaits his signature, according to the magazine. Per the Atlantic’s report, “a Pentagon inspector-general report this spring found that the [US defence] department’s deep cuts in civilian-harm protections may have violated laws designed to safeguard noncombatants. Democrats are urging the department to reverse course.

Hegseth’s comments and service history suggest that he will do otherwise. A Pentagon official – who, like other officials, spoke with us on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations – said in a statement that the setup for preventing civilian harm is ‘currently undergoing a strategic reassessment to inform its future reorganization’ and would remain in compliance with congressional requirements, but that no final decisions have been made.” The UN secretary general António Guterres has called the agreement for Hamas to give up its weapons and for Israel to withdraw from Gaza as “the only good news in recent days”. Speaking to reporters on Friday, he said: double quotation markLet me be clear: the fighting must stop on all fronts in the region.

We are now six months into the military escalation in the Gulf. What began as a regional conflict is increasingly becoming a driver of global instability.” A 10-year-old child has been shot in the back and injured by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, according to the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa. Local sources were reported to have said that live ammunition was used in the attack by settlers on a farm in the village of al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah.

Lebanon’s president Joseph Aoun has called the Israeli army’s detonations near a 12th-century Unesco-listed castle (see 08.00 BST) a “direct threat” to a US-brokered deal between Beirut and Tel Aviv, according to Agence France-Presse. Aoun’s statement cited the country’s National Centre for Geophysics, saying that the explosions caused “ground waves equivalent to a 3.8 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale”. He also raised concerns over the “negative messages” being sent ahead of planned talks in Rome between Lebanese and Israeli representatives.

The explosions took place near Beaufort Castle, also known as Qalaat al-Shaqif, in parts of southern Lebanon that remain occupied by the Israeli military. Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, has said that Israel is “looking forward to implementing” the plan, but for it to work, Hamas must “actually” be willing to disarm, and that “cosmetic solutions” will not be enough for Israel. “We have to verify what they are doing, not what they are saying,” he said of Hamas in comments to CNN.

Danon added said that the sequence of events surrounding disarmament, humanitarian aid and the IDF’s withdrawal from the so-called “yellow line” in Gaza could be discussed in future talks. double quotation markThose issues we can discuss and we can resolve … you can build the sequence with the mediators. The main point is whether Hamas is actually willing to disarm or not.

Because if they are playing games and offer cosmetic solutions, it will not work. Disarmament means the weapons out of Gaza, they have no control of the weapons, and then we can move forward. But Hamas told Reuters earlier that “the first step in executing the agreement is Israel’s commitment to stop killing and end violations [of the October ceasefire agreement]”.

The group added that “handing over heavy weapons is also conditional on Israel ending hostilities and withdrawal from Gaza”. Asked if Trump should prepare to be disappointed by Israel’s willingness to engage with the peace plan, Danon said: “Absolutely not.” As we reported earlier, Trump failed to answer a question at his cabinet meeting about the sticking point of what should come first, Hamas’s disarmament or Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Also at the cabinet meeting earlier, Donald Trump said he was “losing faith” in negotiations with Iran, and implied, as he has done in the past, that Iranian negotiators were making him “angry” by saying one thing privately and another publicly.

double quotation markThey always want to talk, but they break their word so often. As an example, we’ll talk about nuclear, and we’ll be in there talking about nuclear for seven hours, and I say… why do you need seven?

You can take 10 minutes. You have five minutes, you should solve it. And they’ll go out and they’ll say, ‘We never discussed nuclear.’ And I say why, why do they say that?

All they do is make me angry. You know, they just make me angry. He added: “I’m losing faith in them because they do lie and do, they do misrepresent.” Asked what he expects for Iran in the next few weeks, the US president said: “We’ll be hitting them very hard.” “You know, at some point they’re going to say, ‘We just can’t take it anymore,’” he added.

Donald Trump has declared a breakthrough in negotiations over the disarmament of Hamas in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, but Israeli government officials have voiced scepticism over the deal. In today’s edition of The Latest podcast, Lucy Hough speaks to Julian Borger, the Guardian’s senior international correspondent. Trump’s secretary of state Marco Rubio hailed the Hamas disarmament deal is “another big step” towards achieving peace in the Middle East, and said it was “something a lot of people thought would never happen”.

In his brief comments, Rubio also attacked the International Criminal Court, saying the court was “illegitimate”. Trump interjected with a joke to say that US efforts to dismantle the court were not aimed at defending him. “There’s no information that they are after me, [but] it could happen,” Trump joked.

“[Marco] is trying to defend Bibi [Netanyahu] and various other people, but there are many people who shouldn’t be looked at that way. There is no indication that I’m one of them, at this moment.” A reminder that in November 2024, the ICC issued a warrant for the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, including “starvation as a method of warfare, and … murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts”. Just last week, Netanyahu dismissed the charges as “bogus”.

Neither the US nor Israel are members of the ICC. Asked who would take possession of Hamas’s weapons if the disarmament goes through, Donald Trump said, “It would be the Board of Peace, mostly,” which he said “has been led by amazing people”. That contradicts what officials said on Thursday night when the deal was announced – that those weapons would be turned over to Palestinian authorities, the New York Times notes.

Speaking to reporters at his cabinet meeting at Camp David, Donald Trump was asked if he has assurances from Israel that they are on board with the Hamas disarmament deal, and what comes first – the disarmament or the withdrawal of IDF troops from Gaza. The US president replied: double quotation markWe do have an understanding with Israel. Israel is very happy about it.

They helped us and they’ve been very good about it. Describing the agreement as “a great breakthrough”, Trump added that, “Nobody ever thought that would be possible, to disarm Hamas.” double quotation markIt’s a big step for the Middle East and people are very impressed by it. Asked whether the deal will go through, Trump acknowledged that it is a “very complex situation” in Gaza, adding: double quotation markThe people are very complex and difficult.

In many cases wonderful, in many cases not so wonderful. Trump didn’t provide any other details and – crucially – didn’t answer the other part of the question regarding which would come first – Israel withdrawing from Gaza or Hamas disarming – which remains a key point of contention. We have yet to hear from Benjamin Netanyahu on Donald Trump’s announcement of the roadmap for implementing the Gaza ceasefire plan, but, as we’ve been reporting, rightwing members of his government have described it as “not acceptable”, while one Israeli official told AFP there would be no IDF withdrawal from the so-called Yellow Line unless Hamas undergoes “genuine disarmament”.

But last night, a US official said that Trump would be be “very, very disappointed” if Israel does not adhere to their end of the peace plan. “We’re not asking Israel to do anything other than agree to the 20-point plan that they agreed to initially, and so we’re very confident they will adhere to it. If they don’t, obviously President Trump would be very, very disappointed,” the official told reporters, in comments reported by CNN.

“With all the different issues they have going on … this is not something I think [Israel wants] to escalate as an issue right now. So we believe that they’ll continue to be a good partner in this and comply,” they added. The UK foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, has welcomed the announcement that Hamas will disarm.

“The focus must now be to implement the 20-Point Plan in full,” he said in a post on X, including “the withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza and respect for the ceasefire by all parties”. Miliband stressed that conditions for people in Gaza “remain appalling” and said Israel “must immediately end the unacceptable restrictions on aid so that more food, medicine and support can reach those who need it.” “We must reach a viable peace – with the Palestinian State and the State of Israel living securely side by side,” he said. The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said in a post on X that , “if fully implemented”, the plan to disarm Hamas would be a “constructive step towards peace”.

“A lot needs to fall in place for this to work. Success depends on the full commitment of all parties,” she caveated, adding: “Verifying Hamas’ compliance will be a significant challenge. Israel would need to eventually withdraw from Gaza.” The EU stands “ready to support the next steps, including the entry of the National Committee and the International Stabilisation Force”, she said.

Israel will not withdraw from the Gaza Strip until Hamas’s “genuine disarmament”, a political source told AFP on Friday after the group said it had agreed to a deal involving its disarmament and Israel’s exit. “Israel has reiterated that there will be no withdrawal whatsoever of the IDF from the current Yellow Line unless Hamas undergoes a genuine disarmament,” the Israeli source said, referring to a demarcation between the area under Hamas control and that held by the Israeli army. Iran said it struck two tankers trying to pass through the strait of Hormuz under the escort of the US military, as Donald Trump gathered his cabinet at to discuss the stalling war and rising prices as midterm election in the US loom.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said they had hit two tankers trying to pass through the strait on Friday. The IRGC said the “non-compliant oil tankers … were struck and brought to a halt, while four other oil tankers quickly changed course and returned to their previous positions”. The military body said the ships had tried to pass through the waterway via an “undeclared route” and under US aerial escort.

Iran and the US have said ships should pass through the strait via two competing routes, with Iran bombing ships that take the southern route, close to the coast of Oman, and the US bombing ships that violate its blockade of Iranian ships and ports. The strait has been almost completely closed to traffic since Iran and the US returned to fighting two weeks ago, sending energy prices soaring. On Thursday, the price of crude oil pushed past $90 a barrel when the US struck Iran in retaliation for its targeting of US bases in Jordan.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s minister of national security, has rejected the draft agreement, describing the plan as “not acceptable” to Israel. In a post on X, Ben-Gvir said: double quotation markAfter the October 7 massacre, the blood of every Hamas man is forfeit-and therefore, a commitment to cease the eliminations of the terrorist organisation’s murderers is tantamount to consenting for Hamas to regroup toward the next massacre. The targeted killings in Gaza must continue, encouraging emigration must happen, Israel must win.

The far-right minister, who is the first Israeli official to publicly comment on the deal, is known for making controversial remarks on Gaza and has regularly been at loggerheads with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Here’s a video of the Guardian’s Jerusalem correspondent Emma Graham-Harrison explaining Ben-Gvir’s role in a protest demanding the re-establishment of three illegal settlements in the northern part of Gaza earlier this month: Just moments after Hamas issued a statement demanding Israeli troops stopping killing Palestinians (see post at 13:23), Reuters reported at least one person was killed in an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza. US president Donald Trump will convene a cabinet meeting later today at his ⁠Camp David retreat as he grapples with how to resolve his war against Iran.

He will also be keen to find a way to bring down gasoline prices as the Republicans head into ⁠the November ​midterm elections. This will be only his third trip ⁠to Camp David during his second term, with Trump largely having stayed away from the mountaintop presidential retreat in western ⁠Maryland. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt ​told reporters at a briefing last ‌week that this would ‌be the 13th Cabinet meeting of Trump’s second term and that it ‌would be “a lot of fun and something different for the cabinet to experience together”.

For the latest news on US politics, follow our live blog here: Donald Trump’s Board of Peace has issued a statement on X with more details on its roadmap for implementing the Gaza ceasefire plan. Here are the main points: All parties reaffirm their commitment to end the violence in Gaza, secure the “complete” withdrawal of Israeli troops and allow “a credible political path that achieves self-determination and statehood” for Palestinians. Both Israel and Hamas will, “without delay”, end all military operations in Gaza.

Once this is done and a timetable is set, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) will enter the Strip and assume responsibility for its governance. Progression from one phase to the following one is contingent upon the completion of all previous phases. Hamas and other Palestinian factions have agreed that all civilian governance and security will be handed over to NCAG.

They have also agreed that NCAG will “enjoy full independence in carrying out its responsibilities” without interference from Palestinian factions. Upon fulling assuming power in Gaza, NCAG will ensure the continuation of civilian institutions and public services. Gaza will be governed according to the principle of: “One Authority, One Law, One Weapon”.

All police personnel will undergo comprehensive vetting, and those who do not meet required standards will be offered alternative civilian roles or retirement. New police personnel will be incorporated into the existing police force. Authorities will begin decommissioning heavy weapons, military production sites, depots of weapons and tunnels.

A temporary International Stabilisation Force (ISF) will be deployed to separate Israeli forces from NCAG-controlled areas. The ISF will also be responsible for monitoring ceasefire compliance, training the Palestinian police, and delivering humanitarian support and supplies into Gaza. Israeli forces will complete their phased withdrawal from Gaza Strip.

The peace plan includes a commitment from Israel not to force anyone to leave the Strip. NCAG will be responsible for handling internal security incidents. The reconstruction of Gaza will be supervised by the Board of Peace and NCAG “in accordance with relevant laws and international standards”.