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The Global Story

Will Hamas actually disarm?

6 August 2026

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It has been a week since President Trump announced that the Board of Peace had reached an, "historic agreement” in Gaza for the, “complete disarmament” of Hamas.

But in the days since, the situation has become more uncertain. Hamas has said that it will only disarm when Israel withdraws its forces from Gaza, but Israeli officials insist they will not withdraw until the weapons are handed over. On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had not agreed to the plan.

To explain what comes next, we turn to the BBC’s international editor, Jeremy Bowen, and the BBC's Gaza correspondent, Rushdi Abualouf.

Producers: Hannah Moore and Xandra Ellin

Executive producer: James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Digital producer: Matt Pintus

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: A Palestinian fighter from the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, gestures inside an underground tunnel in Gaza. Credit: Reuters/Mohammed Salem/File Photo