Donald Trump has issued a fresh ultimatum to Hamas, demanding the group's disarmament as the second phase of the US-brokered ceasefire with Israel begins. In a late-night post on Truth Social, Trump called for the “comprehensive” demilitarisation of Hamas and the return of the remains of the final Israeli captive held by the group, warning of severe consequences if they fail to comply.
“Hamas must IMMEDIATELY honor its commitments, including the return of the final body to Israel, and proceed without delay to full Demilitarization,” Trump wrote. “As I have said before, they can do this the easy way, or the hard way.” No agreement has yet been reached on disarmament, which remains one of the most contentious elements of the second phase, alongside the withdrawal of Israeli forces and easing of restrictions to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Trump has said that Hamas would be stripped of its weapons and its tunnel network dismantled with backing from Egypt, Turkey and Qatar. Under the plan, Hamas would give up heavy weapons completely, while a US “buy-back” programme would target smaller arms. However, it remains unclear how such objectives could be enforced. The focus of the second phase has shifted to transitional governance, demilitarisation and reconstruction, though violence persists, with at least 451 Palestinians killed since the ceasefire took effect in October.
Trump has announced he will chair a “board of peace” to govern Gaza, overseeing reconstruction and economic recovery. Former UK prime minister Tony Blair is reportedly expected to join an executive board alongside Trump’s advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, with former UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov playing a central on-the-ground role. The board will supervise a 15-member Palestinian committee, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), led by former deputy minister Ali Shaath, tasked with civil administration during the transition.
The UN has described Gaza’s destruction as a “human-made abyss”, with reconstruction costs estimated at over $70bn (£53bn) over several decades. UN undersecretary general Jorge Moreira da Silva said after visiting Gaza: “The level of destruction is overwhelming. Homes, schools, clinics, roads, water and electricity systems have been levelled or severely damaged. Gaza has more than 60m tonnes of rubble – the capacity of nearly 3,000 container ships.” He added that clearing the rubble would take over seven years.
Life in Gaza remains precarious. On Thursday, six Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes, while recent storms have caused deaths and flooding in displacement camps. Strong winter winds caused walls to collapse on tents housing displaced people on Tuesday, killing at least one.
