July 31 - U.S. President Donald Trump has presented a proposed agreement he characterized as a breakthrough aimed at ending the Gaza conflict. While the framework sets out steps toward disarmament and a phased withdrawal, the central outstanding issue is sequencing - the order in which each party must take substantive actions.
The dispute over sequencing has been a recurring obstacle in past negotiations, with each side insisting the other carry out the first material step. That dynamic is evident again in the immediate responses to the announced roadmap.
What the roadmap says
According to the announcement, mediators have reached terms for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups. The roadmap includes implementing the Sharm el-Sheikh ceasefire agreement and bringing military operations to an end. It also envisions storing weapons under the authority of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza - the Palestinian technocratic body established to govern the enclave - while Israel withdraws in phases. The announcement stated that weapons placed in that storage would not be handed over to Israel or to any non-Palestinian entity.
Israel's position
Israel has not offered public endorsement of the proposed roadmap. Officials have signaled that there will be no pullback from the Yellow Line inside Gaza until Hamas has undergone what they describe as genuine disarmament, and Israel has said it wants Hamas weapons removed from the territory. The draft agreement has drawn criticism from prominent Israeli figures. Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, posted on his Telegram channel that the draft was unacceptable and asserted that Israel should continue its policy of targeting Hamas leaders.
Hamas' stance
Hamas has rejected the notion that it should act first. It insists Israel must make the initial moves by ending attacks, withdrawing forces and increasing humanitarian aid flows. Only after Israel fulfills those commitments would Hamas place weapons into storage managed by the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza. Hamas avoids using the term disarmament and reiterates that any weapons put into storage would not be turned over to Israel or to non-Palestinian parties.
Outlook
The core disagreement over which side must take the first credible, substantive step - Israel withdrawing and stopping operations, or Hamas undergoing disarmament - remains unresolved. That unresolved sequencing has previously led to the collapse of diplomatic efforts, and the current public positions from the parties suggest similar friction unless negotiators secure clearer, mutually acceptable sequencing arrangements.