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Hamas reaches Gaza disarmament agreement with Board of Peace

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Palestinians run for cover as smoke and fire rise during an Israeli strike on the the Al-Muttaqin Mosque in Gaza City on July 28, 2026 [Aljazeera]

Hamas and other Palestinian factions have agreed to a document setting out a plan for their disarmament in Gaza, in what United States President Donald Trump has called “a monumental step” towards peace and security.

Al Jazeera has received a copy of Thursday’s agreement, which stipulates that the precise disarmament roadmap must be prepared within 14 days, with possible extensions subject to the approval of an international verification body, and the agreement of all parties.

“These negotiations were difficult and hard, and we tried to reach the best possible formula that was achievable,” Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas’s negotiating delegation, told Al Jazeera.

However, Hamad said that Hamas would not implement any part of the agreement if Israeli forces failed to fulfil their obligations. The official said disarmament depended on Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and progress on reconstruction in the Palestinian territory.

There has been no comment yet from Israel.

Trump framed the agreement as a success for the Board of Peace, the body established to oversee Gaza’s governance.

“This agreement is a critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Thursday. “At the same time, Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer used as a base for terror attacks.”

The copy of the agreement obtained by Al Jazeera says that the disarmament process will begin with the entry of a National Committee and the International Stabilisation Force to Gaza. The National Committee will then oversee the “inventory and storage” process, with the international verification committee observing, and the Palestinian factions participating.

The disarmament process is also tied to the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. It also adds that no weapons should be handed over to Israel or any non-Palestinian body, and that the National Committee be the sole force holding on to the weapons in Gaza.

A Board of Peace official confirmed that Hamas and other armed factions would hand over their weapons to a National Committee set to administer Gaza. The official said weapons held by the police would be transferred first, followed by the decommissioning of heavy weapons. All military activity in Gaza would have to stop under the plan, though the official said the process will take time to implement.

Trump framed the disarmament – which he said would take place in phases – as part of the “ceasefire” deal he brokered in October to end Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and devastated the Palestinian enclave.

Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire, killing more than 1,200 Palestinians since it came into effect, seizing more territory, and continuing to restrict the movement of people and goods into and out of Gaza. Six more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza on Thursday, including two children.

Trump said Israel would withdraw from Gaza and be replaced by an International Stabilization Force working with a “new Palestinian police force” once disarmament was complete.

“Under this agreement, Gaza will finally be in the hands of a new Palestinian government that serves its PEOPLE,” Trump added.

Hamas leaders have been in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, since late last week discussing the ceasefire deal with mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkiye. An unnamed Hamas official was quoted earlier on Thursday as saying that the talks were “positive” and “making progress”.

Egypt will soon host more talks in Cairo involving mediators from Egypt, the US, Qatar and Turkiye to secure commitments to the second phase of the ceasefire roadmap, according to Egypt’s A-Qahera News. The broadcaster, citing an informed Egyptian source, said Hamas and other Palestinian factions had officially approved the proposal, which includes the deployment of international forces and the start of work by the National Committee.

However, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another armed group in Gaza, said reports of an agreement between the factions and Israel were inaccurate, adding that it had reservations about the wording being circulated.

Hamas had announced on July 6 the dissolution of the body it led that had governed Gaza for nearly two decades.

Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher, reporting from Washington, DC, said that the arrangement would see Hamas and other groups disarm sector by sector, followed by the recruitment of more Palestinian police officers.

“The Palestinian police will be working in association with an international coordination force, the makeup of which has yet to be cleared, but we’ve heard rumours that it could involve the Indonesians and possibly even the Turks, something the Israelis might not be keen on,” Fisher said.

Fisher said there were some obstacles to getting all sides to sign the agreement, but it was made clear things would get a lot more difficult for Hamas financially if it did not approve the deal.

“There was definitely international pressure on Hamas to accept this,” Fisher said.

Nidal Abu Zaid, a military analyst, told Al Jazeera that the focus of the agreement on the phrase “inventory and storage” was subtly different to “disarmament”.

“From a military standpoint… Inventory and storage is carried out by a third party, but that party does not need to be an enemy force,” Abu Zaid said. “But disarmament is carried out by an enemy force, and [the Palestinian factions] will never agree to that disarmament.”

Earlier, a US official told reporters that there was much Israeli criticism when Turkiye and Qatar were invited to join the Board of Peace, but that the agreement had proven that including the countries was the right decision.

“I think, right now, there is finally an alternative to the PA [Palestinian Authority] and Hamas”, which is a “technocratic, apolitical government that is really looking to do this for the benefit of the people”, he said.

[Aljazeera]



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Showerss above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara Districts

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WEATHER FORECAST FOR 24 SEPTEMBER 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 24 September 2026 by the Department of Meteorology

The Deep Depression over the West-central and adjoining Northwest Bay of Bengal is moving west-northwestwards and is currently crossing the North Andhra Pradesh and adjoining South Odisha coasts of India.

Although this system will not have a direct impact on Sri Lanka, the prevailing rainy conditions in the southwestern part of the island are expected to continue due to the wind flow towards the system.

Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara Districts. Heavy showerss above 100 mm are likely at some places in the above areas.

A few showers will occur in North-central province and in Mannar district.

Strong winds of about (40-50) kmph can be expected at times over the Western slopes of the Central hills, the North-central and North-western provinces and in Trincomalee, Hambantota and Matale Districts.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

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Mirabai Chanu wins Asian Games silver as Ri breaks weightlifting record

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L to R, India’s Mirabai Chanu, North Korea's Ri Song Gum and Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana of Indonesia pose on the podium at the medal ceremony for the weightlifting women's 49kg, September 23, 2026 (Aljazeera)

North Korean weightlifter Ri Song Gum has broken three world records en route to winning gold in the women’s 49kg (108lbs) competition, which saw India’s Mirabai Chanu win an elusive Asian Games medal by finishing second.

Ri gave North Korea its first gold of the games in Nagoya, Japan, on Wednesday, joining an elite club of four weightlifters who have won three Asian Games gold medals.

The 28-year-old hauled 94kg above her head in the opening snatch discipline – the first official segment of the competition where athletes lift a barbell from the floor to an overhead position in a single motion. The lift was 1kg heavier than the previous world record of 93kg.

Ri followed it up by breaking the world record twice in the 115kg clean and jerk – a two-part movement where a barbell is lifted from the floor to the shoulders and then pushed overhead. The 4ft-7in (139.7cm) weightlifter hoisted 116kg and 121kg above her head.

Ri’s total lift of 215kg obliterated the old world record total by 7kg.

She is the fourth lifter, and first woman, to win three Asian Games weightlifting golds and joined Iran’s Mohammad Nassiri (1966-74), South Korea’s Kim Tae-hyun (1990-98) and Iran’s Behdad Salimi (2010-18), who all won three gold medals. No athlete has won four weightlifting gold medals.

Ri joined an elite club of just four weightlifters who have won three Asian Games gold medals
Ri joined an elite club of just four weightlifters who have won three Asian Games gold medals [Aljazeera]

In the same category, India’s Chanu finally won an Asian Games medal at the third time of asking. She won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

The 32-year-old is India’s most decorated weightlifter, with three Commonwealth gold medals and a silver to her name, along with multiple global titles.

She lifted a total of 198kg after a snatch of 87kg and a clean and jerk of 111kg, while Indonesia’s Diana Tri Wijayana took bronze with a total of 191kg, comprising 88kg and 103kg.

Chanu’s silver also ended India’s 28-year wait for a weightlifting medal at the games since Karnam Malleswari won silver in 1998.

Mirabai Chanu Saikhom of India competes during the women's 49kg weightlifting final at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Mirabai Chanu during the women’s 49kg weightlifting final [Aljazeera]

(Aljazeera)

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Trump greets China’s Xi Jinping on arrival for three-day US

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US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington, DC on Wednesday (Aljazeera)

United States President Donald Trump has welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping as he arrived in the US for a three-day trip focused on issues such as security, trade and technology.

Trump took the rare step of meeting the Chinese leader in person at Joint Base Andrews in the state of Maryland on Wednesday, the first president to do so in recent memory.

The US president and First Lady Melania Trump greeted Xi and his wife on the tarmac during a welcoming ceremony, where a red carpet was rolled out and the couples exchanged handshakes. Trump  and Xi then walked side by side, flanked by US soldiers, before standing for a gunfire salute and the US national anthem

The in-person greeting is a sign of the significance that Washington ascribes to its relationship with Beijing,  whose meteoric economic rise over the last several decades has transformed it into a global superpower capable of rivalling the United States.

Despite tense relations that worsened after the Trump administration placed high tariffs on Chinese goods – a move that was met with retaliatory measures from Beijing – Trump has expressed personal affinity for Xi and his desire for strong ties with China.

The Chinese president’s trip to the US will include a state dinner, attended by leaders of the country’s powerful tech industry,  a military ceremony at the White House, and a visit to the National Archives, home to documents of historical and cultural significance such as the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence

But both countries remain wary of the other as they compete for political and economic influence. The trip is likely to include discussion of issues such as the US war on Iran, trade, technology,  rare-earth minerals and US ties to Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory

(Aljazeera)

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