HAMAS said yesterday that it reached an agreement with United States President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace to disarm. But negotiations between Israel and Hamas over the implementation of the next phase of the ceasefire deal had reached deadlock, with disarmament a major sticking point. The process will be linked to an Israeli withdrawal, in phases, from the areas under its control in Gaza. The war in Gaza began after Hamas led an attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023 during which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Israel’s brutal retaliation in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, including those killed since the ceasefire.