US and Israel weigh strikes on Iran's power grid and a land blockade Hamas confirms Gaza disarmament deal as sequence stays disputed Congo's Ebola outbreak becomes second-largest on record Iran declares Hormuz closed after striking escorted tankers Oil climbs as US-Iran fighting disrupts Hormuz tanker traffic Nearly all migrants return to Morocco after mass crossing into Ceuta Venezuela state puts number missing after earthquake at 1,338 Russian ballistic missiles kill at least nine in Kyiv OpenAI cuts GPT prices by up to 80% as Chinese labs release new models Kumamoto quake toll rises to 35 as search of wrecked mall continues Amazon completes $50bn investment in OpenAI US Treasury joins Japan in buying yen Trump threatens harder strikes as US envoys keep talking to Iran Big Tech earnings split investors over AI spending Italy moves to suspend Schengen travel with Spain over Ceuta arrivals Ukrainian drones hit Volgograd refinery and Wildberries warehouses Saudi Arabia plans Red Sea naval coalition as Houthis tighten blockade Russia claims 32 captured settlements as Zelensky warns of difficult front Wildfires ease in France and Spain after mass evacuations Trump casts doubt on letting Ukraine build Patriot missiles Iran says it attacked US forces in Kuwait with drones NATO said to weigh wider nuclear deterrence in Europe AI hedge fund collapses in tech stock rout Anthropic says Claude models broke into three companies during tests UN warns strengthening El Niño will intensify global heat Ukrainian strike on Iranian ship raises fear of converging wars China's factories and construction slump Pentagon seeks $18.2 billion for interceptors after Iran war China rejects Philippine baselines at Scarborough Shoal and stages drills Funding cuts block access to long-acting HIV prevention drug Pakistani forces kill dozens in Kashmir crackdown China acknowledges nuclear missile silo build-out Xi orders faster military adoption of drones and AI Israeli strikes continue in Gaza after Hamas disarmament pledge Fed officials dissent as inflation debate sharpens US adds dozens of Chinese firms to forced-labour blacklist US and China prepare ground for Xi's Washington visit Solar set to pass coal in China as nuclear projects clear Hackers hit US water utilities in wave of attacks Methane blast kills at least 34 miners in Pakistan South Korea asks US for uranium enrichment rights EU to make AI labels compulsory as Google pulls Earth tool Ukraine presses on with drone and robot warfare amid turmoil US economy grew 1.5 percent in second quarter German unemployment climbs above three million Taiwan's economy grows nearly 13 percent on AI demand Poland protests to Russian ambassador over missile incursion FIFA scraps World Cup investment plan after backlash Japan opens intelligence bureau as Beijing and Pyongyang object Congress may block Russia sanctions bill as Medvedev dismisses threats US and Israel weigh strikes on Iran's power grid and a land blockade Hamas confirms Gaza disarmament deal as sequence stays disputed Congo's Ebola outbreak becomes second-largest on record Iran declares Hormuz closed after striking escorted tankers Oil climbs as US-Iran fighting disrupts Hormuz tanker traffic Nearly all migrants return to Morocco after mass crossing into Ceuta Venezuela state puts number missing after earthquake at 1,338 Russian ballistic missiles kill at least nine in Kyiv OpenAI cuts GPT prices by up to 80% as Chinese labs release new models Kumamoto quake toll rises to 35 as search of wrecked mall continues Amazon completes $50bn investment in OpenAI US Treasury joins Japan in buying yen Trump threatens harder strikes as US envoys keep talking to Iran Big Tech earnings split investors over AI spending Italy moves to suspend Schengen travel with Spain over Ceuta arrivals Ukrainian drones hit Volgograd refinery and Wildberries warehouses Saudi Arabia plans Red Sea naval coalition as Houthis tighten blockade Russia claims 32 captured settlements as Zelensky warns of difficult front Wildfires ease in France and Spain after mass evacuations Trump casts doubt on letting Ukraine build Patriot missiles Iran says it attacked US forces in Kuwait with drones NATO said to weigh wider nuclear deterrence in Europe AI hedge fund collapses in tech stock rout Anthropic says Claude models broke into three companies during tests UN warns strengthening El Niño will intensify global heat Ukrainian strike on Iranian ship raises fear of converging wars China's factories and construction slump Pentagon seeks $18.2 billion for interceptors after Iran war China rejects Philippine baselines at Scarborough Shoal and stages drills Funding cuts block access to long-acting HIV prevention drug Pakistani forces kill dozens in Kashmir crackdown China acknowledges nuclear missile silo build-out Xi orders faster military adoption of drones and AI Israeli strikes continue in Gaza after Hamas disarmament pledge Fed officials dissent as inflation debate sharpens US adds dozens of Chinese firms to forced-labour blacklist US and China prepare ground for Xi's Washington visit Solar set to pass coal in China as nuclear projects clear Hackers hit US water utilities in wave of attacks Methane blast kills at least 34 miners in Pakistan South Korea asks US for uranium enrichment rights EU to make AI labels compulsory as Google pulls Earth tool Ukraine presses on with drone and robot warfare amid turmoil US economy grew 1.5 percent in second quarter German unemployment climbs above three million Taiwan's economy grows nearly 13 percent on AI demand Poland protests to Russian ambassador over missile incursion FIFA scraps World Cup investment plan after backlash Japan opens intelligence bureau as Beijing and Pyongyang object Congress may block Russia sanctions bill as Medvedev dismisses threats

Symbolic image: Hamas confirms Gaza disarmament deal as sequence stays disputed

Symbolic image

Hamas confirms Gaza disarmament deal as sequence stays disputed

16 sources

Hamas confirmed on Friday that it accepted a US-brokered plan to give up its weapons alongside a phased Israeli withdrawal. Both sides insist the other side must move first.

What happened

Trump announced the deal on Truth Social overnight into Friday, 31 July, calling it a "monumental step".
Qatar, Egypt and Turkey mediated the 15-point roadmap in Cairo; Hamas officials confirmed the terms to AFP.
Weapons pass to the US-backed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, not to Israel.
A two-week ceasefire covers final details; the whole process is reported to run 200 to 350 days.
Israel controls over 60 percent of Gaza; Israeli strikes killed at least four on Thursday, local health authorities say.

The view from outside

German daily FAZ calls Trump's announcements unreliable and sees the underlying deadlock unchanged, while AP notes Israel is unlikely to concede much before October's election. Premium Times cites Al Jazeera counting 3,795 Israeli ceasefire violations since October 2025.

What could happen next

Neither side says whether disarmament or withdrawal starts first; Trump declined to answer at Camp David.
The plan demands a detailed disarmament roadmap within 14 days, extensions requiring an international verification body's approval.
Israel gave no government response; far-right minister Ben Gvir called the deal "unacceptable", Le Monde reports.
Israeli sources say the ceasefire ends if Hamas does not begin handing over weapons.

How the camps see it

Israel: Israeli forces will not leave the Yellow Line until Hamas is fully disarmed and Gaza entirely demilitarised.
Hamas: Weapons go to a Palestinian authority only after Israeli troops withdraw, Israeli-backed militias are dismantled and a Palestinian state is guaranteed.

Also involved

United StatesMediators