Trump Declares Hamas Disarmament Deal — Israel Isn't Saying Yes
Mirror-image conditions, no timeline, continued air strikes and a far-right minister vowing more "assassinations": the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire begins on shaky ground
US President Donald Trump announced late Thursday what he called a historic agreement for the “complete disarmament” of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza, to be followed by a phased Israeli withdrawal — but within hours, the two sides had staked out mirror-image conditions that leave the deal’s sequencing unresolved, and Israeli strikes on the enclave continued.
Hamas has agreed to a draft peace deal drawn up by Trump’s Board of Peace, under a roadmap that would see the group disarm in phases matched by Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. But the group has attached firm conditions: it will not disarm unless there is a complete cessation of all Israeli attacks in Gaza and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces, Hamas said Friday, adding that implementation of the ceasefire’s second phase depends on Israel’s full implementation of the first. Hamas official Ghazi Hamad told Reuters the group would not disarm until Israel halted its attacks, increased the flow of goods and aid, and pulled back its forces in line with last year’s ceasefire agreement.
Israel has drawn precisely the opposite line. The IDF will not withdraw from the current Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip without the full disarmament of Hamas, a diplomatic source told The Jerusalem Post on Friday — a position echoed by a senior Israeli official who said troops will not pull back without “genuine” disarmament. Jerusalem has issued no official endorsement of the deal. Asked directly whether Israel is on board, Trump would say only that he has an “understanding” with the country and that “Israel is very happy about it.” The decision to announce the agreement unilaterally — without waiting for public Israeli backing — was read by the BBC’s Washington correspondent as the latest sign of strain between the two allies. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir went further, declaring the draft plan “unacceptable to Israel” and insisting that “assassinations” of Hamas members in the Strip must continue until Israel “wins.”
Haaretz offers a sharper read of Jerusalem's silence: Trump has forced Israel's hand on the deal, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — his leverage in Washington diminished and his government under mounting pressure ahead of the next election — is simply waiting for it to fail, banking on the loopholes in the Board of Peace roadmap to doom the agreement on their own. The paper places the episode within a wider pattern of escalation and failed negotiations between Trump and Iran.
On the ground, the announcement changed little overnight: one Palestinian was killed and others wounded in Israeli air strikes on central and northern Gaza just hours after Trump unveiled the deal.
Disarmament is the centerpiece of the second phase of the US-brokered ceasefire signed last October — a phase largely deadlocked for months over both demilitarization and Gaza’s reconstruction. Board of Peace officials briefing reporters could offer no firm timelines, saying the Gaza police force would surrender weapons within two weeks — but that this excludes the vast majority of Hamas fighters and all heavy weaponry, whose decommissioning, along with the tunnel network, could take between 200 and 350 days.
Under the framework, Israeli forces would withdraw as disarmament is completed, replaced by an International Stabilization Force working alongside a new Palestinian police force. Neither the full text of the agreement nor a withdrawal timetable has been made public.
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Italy's Interior Ministry has ordered the closure of the country's sea and air borders with Spain, temporarily suspending the Schengen free movement regime between the two countries. The move was announced on Thursday evening by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Deputy Prime Ministers Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini following the arrival of thousands of migrants in the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta. The decision was formally approved on Friday morning during a meeting at the Interior Ministry chaired by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, based on assessments by Italy’s Committee for Migration Analysis and Border Security. France has also decided to strengthen controls along its land border with Spain, President Emmanuel Macron announced, while offering support to the Spanish authorities to help manage the emergency in the North African enclave. By Friday, several EU countries had moved closer to Italy's position, including Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark, the Czech Republic and Sweden. Against the backdrop of an election campaign ahead of next year's general election, the proposal to suspend Schengen has sparked intense political debate in Italy and drawn praise from several European far-right parties, including France's National Rally, Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the UK's Reform UK - Euronews
Russian TV star Xenia Fedorova on Friday accused French President Emmanuel Macron and his government of censorship, after France ordered her expulsion from the country and moved to freeze her assets earlier in the week. Fedorova, the former head of the Kremlin-backed RT France news outlet, has repeatedly courted controversy by spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda on French media outlets. In her first public comments regarding her expulsion order, the 46 year-old accused the French government of using “political pressure” and of “censorship of opinions that do not align with the official narrative.” According to the expulsion order seen by daily Libération, Fedorova was accused of “destabilizing public order,” spreading “disinformation” and acting “as a conduit for disinformation campaigns led by the Russian authorities.” Fedorova headed RT France before it was shut down due to EU sanctions in 2023. She has since become a fixture on right-wing outlets owned by conservative French billionaire Vincent Bolloré — a powerful figure who has been accused of leveraging his media empire to influence French politics. According to a government decree seen by POLITICO, France froze Fedorova’s assets for a period of six months on Thursday — a decision the pundit said she will appeal. Fedorova is currently under house arrest and banned from working on French soil, though weak diplomatic ties between Paris and Moscow could make it difficult to deport her - Politico
Odesa in the dark. After waves of Russian drone attacks today, power went out across most of the city centre - a first in recent memory. Small businesses were caught flat-footed, many with no petrol in their generators. With a heat wave forecast next week and the grid already under strain, tonight raises the question I explore in this dispatch: is this a preview of what's expected to be the most difficult winter of the entire war? 🎥 Reporting from the streets of Odesa.
A former child pop star is suing Singapore Airlines after she allegedly suffered lasting vocal cord injuries when a wooden splinter from an in-flight chicken satay skewer lodged in her throat. According to a lawsuit filed July 24 in federal court in Los Angeles, Briohny Smyth, 44, was flying business class from Singapore to Los Angeles when part of a wooden skewer allegedly broke off as she ate her meal. The complaint, first reported by The Independent, claims she unknowingly swallowed the jagged fragment, triggering immediate pain, violent coughing, and choking. Court filings allege Smyth spent much of the flight trying to remove the object before eventually coughing up a wooden shard measuring about 1.5 inches long. The lawsuit says Smyth later sought treatment from a throat specialist, who found scarring and trauma to her vocal cords. Since the incident, she has allegedly experienced persistent throat pain, vocal fatigue, raspiness and discomfort while speaking and singing. Smyth argues she was eating the meal as intended and was not responsible for the incident. Smyth became a platinum-selling singer in Thailand at age 13 and now works as a yoga instructor in Los Angeles. She claims the injuries have harmed her career and is seeking damages for medical expenses, lost income, and emotional distress - The Daily Beast
Veteran Hong Kong actor Chow Yun Fat has lowered the asking price of his luxury Peak mansion once again, with the property now listed for HK$160 million (US$20.4 million) after spending nearly four years on the market. The latest reduction brings the total price cut to HK$60 million, or about 27 per cent, since the house was first put up for sale in October 2022, according to Hong Kong newspaper The Standard. Taiwanese media outlet ETtoday also reported that the revised asking price comes amid the city’s prolonged property market slowdown, which has weighed on the luxury housing segment. The property is located at Sunshine Villa on Mount Kellett Road, which, according to local property websites, is one of Hong Kong’s most exclusive and ultra-luxury residential addresses. The property spans 2,547 sq ft and includes a 2,000 sq ft private garden, a 700 sq ft rooftop terrace and panoramic sea views. At its current asking price, the home is valued at about HK$62,819 per sq ft. The 71-year-old actor bought the mansion for HK$128 million in September 2010, setting what was then a record price per square foot for the estate at HK$50,255. Although the property has undergone extensive renovations, it has reportedly never been lived in or rented out. The Standard also reported that viewings remain highly restricted despite the latest price reduction - CNA
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