Trump hails Gaza deal, while Hamas and Israeli officials see hurdles

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday a deal he announced to bring peace to Gaza was "a great breakthrough" despite signs from both Hamas and Israel that significant hurdles remained before a deal can be implemented. The comment came a day after what Trump called a "major milestone" towards ending the war in Gaza that he said would see the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups.



"It's a big step for the Middle East, and people are really impressed by it, and they're surprised by it," he said. Trump's announcement on Thursday of the agreement by his Gaza "Board of Peace" followed months of faltering efforts to keep the ceasefire agreement reached last year in the Egyptian resort

of Sharm el-Sheikh on track and it was not immediately clear how strongly either Hamas or Israel stood behind it.



Previous attempts to reach an accord have foundered amid mutual suspicion and each side's insistence that the other must move first.