Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called Hamas’ newly elected leader, Khalil al-Hayya, to congratulate him and pledge Tehran’s continued support for the group, according to a Hamas statement reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Pezeshkian stated, "We are with you, and we support you in every action you take, despite the attacks we are facing," the statement said. Fox News Digital has requested confirmation of the call and an official readout from Iran’s mission to the United Nations.
This reported conversation highlights a significant challenge to President Donald Trump’s initiative for Gaza. While the White House presents its roadmap as a landmark agreement to remove Hamas from power and secure its weapons, Iran, a long-standing patron of the group, simultaneously reaffirmed its backing.
Trump recently announced what he described as a "HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups," portraying it as a breakthrough. The success of this initiative is crucial, as Hamas’ weapons are a central impediment to rebuilding Gaza. The agreement is expected to test the effectiveness of Trump’s Board of Peace, designed to oversee Gaza’s transition, mobilize reconstruction funding, and hold parties accountable. The executive leadership of the board includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Meanwhile, the Board of Peace's Director-General and High Representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and urged Israel to halt its attacks in Gaza. Shortly thereafter, an Israeli political official stated, "Israel will not withdraw from its current line in the Gaza Strip and will continue to thwart any threat to our civilians and soldiers," indicating a rejection of the board’s demands for Israel to return to a previous line and cease targeted strikes.
A Board of Peace official, speaking anonymously, affirmed the body's focus on implementation. "We have provided a pragmatic path forward to transform Gaza by removing Hamas from power and seeing it hand over its weapons," the official told Fox News Digital. "These steps would undoubtedly allow for the improvement of life in Gaza and enhancement of security in Israel."
Hamas, however, has agreed only to a phased and conditional process, linking the storage of weapons to an Israeli withdrawal and increased aid. The group has avoided the term "disarmament," insisting that its weapons remain under Palestinian control rather than being surrendered.
The 15-point roadmap outlines Hamas transferring Gaza’s civilian government and security responsibilities to a Palestinian technocratic body, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza. Hamas police would surrender weapons to this committee, with heavier arms and infrastructure to be addressed later through a process linked to an Israeli withdrawal. The ultimate goal is for only the new Palestinian authority to control weapons in Gaza, but the roadmap leaves enforcement and compliance mechanisms unresolved.
Rebuilding Gaza is heavily contingent on Hamas disarming. Trump has linked reconstruction aid to the group laying down its weapons, though the Board of Peace has secured approximately $7 billion in reconstruction pledges, a fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed.
Moumen al-Natour, a Palestinian lawyer and co-founder of the "We Want to Live" movement, expressed the desperation of civilians for the agreement's success but voiced distrust in Hamas' willingness to relinquish power. "Civilian people inside Gaza Strip… want safety, want to stop this war, want a new government, want to be alive," al-Natour told Fox News Digital. He warned that Hamas would exploit delays and that an insufficient international force could not prevent intimidation.
Michael Milstein, a former Israeli military intelligence officer and head of the Palestinian Studies Centre at Tel Aviv University, suggested that Hamas may concede day-to-day governmental control and accept restrictions on heavy weapons but is unlikely to abandon its armed organization entirely. He described this potential scenario as resembling Hezbollah’s long-standing position in Lebanon, where Hamas would retain personnel and infrastructure while a technocratic government handles public services.
"There is a very, very low chance that Hamas will completely disarm," Milstein told Fox News Digital, characterizing the roadmap as a "gray area" Hamas historically uses to its advantage.
The Board of Peace is also working to prevent actions that could derail the plan. Following Israeli strikes that reportedly killed civilians and destroyed medical supplies, Mladenov called for de-escalation without naming Israel.
Israel maintains it will not withdraw before Hamas genuinely disarms, while Hamas insists Israel must withdraw first. Resistance to the plan also exists within Israel's government. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlements Minister Orit Strock have urged Netanyahu to block the international stabilization force from entering Gaza, calling the roadmap "dangerous to Israel" and contrary to Israel's goals of disarming Hamas.