President Donald Trump said Friday that Israel was "very happy" with an agreement reached by his so-called Board of Peace for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups in Gaza.
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he participates in a cabinet meeting at Camp David in Thurmont, Maryland, U.S., July 31, 2026. Reuters/Daniel Heuer
President Donald Trump said Friday that Israel was "very happy" with an agreement reached by his so-called Board of Peace for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups in Gaza.
"We do have an understanding with Israel. Israel is very happy about it. Israel helped us, and they've been very good," Trump said. "Will it go through its ups and downs? It's a very complex situation over there."
Trump called the agreement a major breakthrough, saying nobody had thought it would be possible to disarm Hamas.
"It's a big step for the Middle East, and people are really impressed by it, and they're surprised by it."
On Thursday, Trump called the deal a "major milestone in the implementation of the Trump 20-Point Plan" to end Israel's war in Gaza.
The president also said the deal would be carried out in phases, with Israeli forces withdrawing as disarmament proceeds and an International Stabilization Force working with a new Palestinian police force to secure the enclave.
By Steve Holland
Syria expects negotiations to resume soon with Israel over a security deal it hopes will lead to Israel's withdrawal from Syrian land, a top Syrian minister said, urging Israel to seize a "historic opportunity" as the door for diplomacy is open.
Syria denounced "repeated attacks" by Israel on Saturday after a drone strike hit the south of the country in the morning, just days after Israel bombed a military base in the northwest, with an Israeli minister separately rejecting American criticism over that earlier operation.
Turkey said on Friday it would seek an Interpol red notice for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of a domestic criminal case linked to an attack on activists seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
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