How will the Board of Peace implementation plan reshape Gaza ?

What Happened

On Friday, July 31, the US-backed Board of Peace announced that Hamas had agreed to a detailed roadmap for implementing the next phases of the Trump administration's Gaza peace initiative. The agreement, described as a 'historic breakthrough', commits Hamas to a structured process of relinquishing all its weapons, to be followed by an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza verified by an International Verification Committee. The roadmap, building on UN Security Council Resolution 2803 and the Sharm el-Sheikh Protocol, also provides for a political transition: the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a technocratic Palestinian body, would gradually assume governance of the Strip, supported by an International Stabilization Force (ISF) comprising personnel from countries including Kosovo, Albania, and Morocco. The Board of Peace's High Representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, stressed that implementation and verification must be genuine and that Israeli withdrawal should proceed 'in lockstep' with Hamas's decommissioning. International reactions were cautiously optimistic, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas welcoming the disarmament plan while warning of significant verification challenges, and former US negotiator Dennis Ross estimating the decommissioning process could take about eight months.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

This agreement represents the first official Hamas commitment to disarmament and a structured political transition, potentially ending the group's military and administrative control over Gaza. If implemented, it could fundamentally alter the security landscape, enable large-scale reconstruction, and reduce the cycle of conflict between Israel and Gaza. It also marks a major diplomatic push by the Trump administration and its partners, with the backing of a new multilateral mechanism (Board of Peace, ISF) that tests whether an externally guaranteed transition is feasible. Success or failure will set a precedent for future conflict-resolution efforts in the region.

Watch For

Concrete next steps include the initiation of the weapons decommissioning process, which Dennis Ross estimates will unfold over approximately eight months, with arms initially placed under NCAG authority. The phased assumption of governance by the NCAG and the deployment of the International Stabilization Force are key operational milestones. Verification by the International Verification Committee (including Board of Peace, ISF, and guarantor countries) will be critical to both sides' compliance. Additionally, any diplomatic pushback, delays in Israeli withdrawal, or non-compliance by Hamas factions could derail the roadmap. Future announcements on specific timetables and the involvement of additional ISF-contributing countries should be monitored.