The ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip entered a long-awaited second phase this week, with new understandings reached between mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey and Hamas and the Palestinian factions regarding arrangements to implement the second phase of the 20-point Gaza peace plan reached in Sharm El-Sheikh last October whose implementation has been hindered by Israeli violations and the outbreak of the Iran war.
The new understandings include the disarmament of the Palestinian factions, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the release of prisoners and detainees, and the flow of aid to the besieged Strip.
Writing on his Truth Social platform on 31 July, US President Donald Trump praised the mediation efforts of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey that had led to a new agreement paving the way for the implementation of the second phase of his 20-point peace plan.
“This agreement is a critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people, while Israel, at the same time, will have the security it deserves,” Trump said.
The new understandings stipulate a gradual roadmap, which includes the disarmament of the Palestinian factions under the supervision of a Palestinian National Committee and an International Stabilisation Force (ISF), in conjunction with a phased Israeli withdrawal and the appointment of a new Palestinian government with responsibility for managing the Strip, restoring order and public services, and leading recovery and construction efforts.
An informed Egyptian diplomatic source told the Middle East News Agency (MENA) that arrangements are being made for a new Quartet group meeting in Cairo, involving Egypt, the US, Qatar, and Turkey to ensure the implementation of the new ceasefire agreement understandings, also stressing that “intensive Egyptian contacts are counting on a greater role and pressure from US President Donald Trump on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”
The source added that the Quartet meeting in Cairo aims to confirm the commitment of all the parties, particularly Israel, to implement the terms of the agreement, noting that it includes the entry of the National Committee, the deployment of international forces, and an early recovery and reconstruction plan.
Another Egyptian diplomatic source told Al-Qahera News that the agreement includes the entry of the National Committee to carry out its duties, in addition to the start of the deployment of international forces, to pave the way for launching early recovery operations and reconstruction projects in the Strip.
The source indicated that the agreement stipulates that the National Committee will embark on the job of collecting and storing weapons in the possession of Hamas and other Palestinian factions, with the process being carried out gradually and sequentially.
The 20-point Gaza peace plan presented by Trump last year included several matters to be worked on immediately upon the start of the second phase, the most important of which is the creation of a single government in the Strip under the leadership of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
Israel will withdraw to the “Yellow Line” where the Israeli army was deployed following the ceasefire agreement last October. Israel will also stop assassinating Hamas leaders in the enclave.
Hamas said in a statement on Friday that the group and the Palestinian factions had dealt positively and responsibly with the negotiation process and the mediators’ proposals, stressing that the implementation of the second phase of the Gaza peace plan is contingent on Israel’s commitment to its terms.
The informed source indicated that Egypt is counting on a bigger role being played by Trump in the hope that his direct and personal intervention will ensure the full implementation of the 20-point Gaza peace agreement. There are hopes that Trump will exert pressure on Netanyahu to ensure that Israel does not thwart the new understandings or put obstacles in the way of implementing them.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials said this week that “the new understandings on Gaza do not provide a satisfactory response to Israel’s demands and there will be no Israeli withdrawal from the Yellow Line before Hamas is fully disarmed and the Strip completely demilitarised.”
Trump’s announcement about the historic breakthrough on the Gaza peace plan came after marathon closed-door negotiations took place in Cairo during a month and included officials from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and leaders of the Palestinian factions in Gaza.
Political analyst Al-Sayed Amin Shalabi said Egypt had exerted tremendous efforts to convince Hamas and other Palestinian factions of the necessity of ceding power in Gaza and preparing the Strip for a new era of reconstruction and civilian rule.
“With Hamas’ explicit agreement to disarm and fully move to a civilian and political administration, the Egyptian initiative has sidelined all the security and military pretexts and arguments that Israeli governments have long used to justify continuing their military operations and expanding the scope of the destruction in Gaza,” Shalabi said.
He said that Egypt, like the other mediators, have been keen to participate in negotiations with Hamas in order to convince the movement of the necessity of laying down its arms.
“But Qatar and Turkey know that it is Egypt that is mainly concerned with conditions in Gaza because these have a direct impact on its national security,” Shalabi said.
Political science professor Ismail Turki said that despite the fact that the war in Iran and its economic and political repercussions have contributed to diverting some international attention away from the Palestinian cause, Egypt had insisted on keeping the Gaza issue at the top of its political and diplomatic priorities.
Turki said that Egypt had succeeded in creating a kind of Palestinian consensus on a number of important issues, including arrangements for the handover of Hamas’ weapons and the deployment of international forces in the Strip.
“The progress achieved this week represents an important step that can be built upon to exert more pressure on Israel and hold it accountable to the US and other countries in order to guarantee the agreement,” Turki said.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 August, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
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