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EXPERT COMMENT

The move may lead to more pressure on Israel to implement Trump’s 20-point plan, but both sides are likely to keep dragging out the process while avoiding any real commitments.

Since the Gaza ceasefire came into effect in October 2025, the Board of Peace has focused predominantly on Hamas’s disarmament as the key to unlocking other elements of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan. These include the entry into Gaza of the technocratic National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), the deployment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF), and the start of desperately needed reconstruction.

Most crucially, the emphasis on disarmament has precluded any discussion of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. Instead, Israeli control of the territory has increased significantly since the start of the ceasefire, from about 53 per cent of Gaza in October (delineated by the so-called ‘Yellow Line’) to nearly 70 per cent today.

President Trump’s recent announcement that Hamas has agreed to his disarmament plan may change that dynamic. By essentially calling Israel’s bluff, Hamas’s move could potentially put external pressure on Israel in Gaza for the first time in months. The question is whether the Board of Peace in general, and Trump in particular, are willing to put the necessary pressure on both parties to move past the current stalemate.

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