Hamas said Friday it will begin surrendering weapons under President Donald Trump’s Gaza agreement as fighting elsewhere in the Middle East continued, including Iranian attacks targeting tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and drones entering Kuwaiti airspace.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Hamas confirmed Friday that it has agreed to begin disarming under a U.S.-brokered arrangement tied to ending Israeli strikes and withdrawing Israeli forces from Gaza, marking a potentially significant advance in efforts to end the war even as major disputes over the agreement remain unresolved.
The development came during another volatile day across the Middle East, with no U.S. strikes reported inside Iran overnight but fresh Iranian military activity elsewhere in the region. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it attacked two additional oil tankers attempting to navigate the Strait of Hormuz, while Kuwait said its military intercepted Iranian drones inside Kuwaiti airspace.
Under the Gaza arrangement announced by President Donald Trump, Hamas is expected to begin relinquishing its weapons while Israel would halt its strikes and withdraw from the territory.
Hamas said its heavy weapons would be surrendered later in the process, but attached a significant condition to that step: the establishment of a Palestinian state. Israel’s current government has strongly rejected the creation of such a state, leaving one of the most consequential elements of the proposed agreement unsettled.
Israel had not officially commented on the latest announcement as of Friday.
The arrangement stems from the U.S.-brokered ceasefire announced last October. That agreement called for Hamas to disarm and transfer authority in Gaza to an independent Palestinian administration. Israeli forces were then expected to withdraw as an International Stabilization Force deployed to the territory.
Implementation subsequently stalled. Israel maintained that further progress depended on Hamas giving up its weapons, while Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire by continuing to conduct regular strikes in Gaza.
The conflict began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 people being taken hostage. Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israel’s subsequent military campaign has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, including people killed after the ceasefire took effect.
The Associated Press has been tracking implementation of Trump’s plan to end the Israel-Hamas war.
While attention centered on the possible Gaza breakthrough Friday, military activity involving Iran continued elsewhere in the region.
No new U.S. strikes against Iran were reported Friday. Iran, however, launched drones toward Kuwait, a Gulf nation that hosts American forces, and said it also attacked oil tankers attempting to move through the Strait of Hormuz.
The strategic waterway is a crucial route for global oil and natural gas shipments and has remained largely closed because of the ongoing fighting.
Kuwait’s Defense Ministry said Friday that its armed forces shot down drones that entered the country’s airspace. According to the ministry, the Iranian attacks targeted several important military installations. Falling debris caused material damage, but no casualties were reported.
Kuwaiti authorities did not disclose how many drones were intercepted.
Iranian state media said the drones targeted an air base in Kuwait in retaliation for U.S. strikes carried out Thursday.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also claimed Friday that it struck two oil tankers attempting to move through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media reported that another four tankers reversed course.
The reports did not identify the tankers’ flags, ownership or operators and did not indicate whether anyone was injured in the attacks.
The continuing disruption to commercial shipping is also prompting a broader regional security response.
Saudi Arabia announced plans for a 14-country defense alliance intended to strengthen maritime security, protect freedom of navigation and safeguard international trade routes and energy corridors in the Red Sea region.
The war involving Iran has already severely disrupted international shipping. At the same time, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have declared a blockade against Saudi Arabia in connection with a separate but related conflict, creating additional risks for another major global trade route.
Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that the proposed coalition is “defensive in nature,” adding that access “remains open to all willing countries.”
Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan were among the countries that joined the proposed alliance.
Oman and the United Arab Emirates were the only two Gulf nations that did not support Saudi Arabia’s statement.
The parallel developments leave the region facing two sharply different trajectories: a possible step toward ending the Gaza war through Hamas’ commitment to begin disarming, and continued escalation involving Iran, Gulf states and strategically important international shipping lanes.
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