The Palestinian militant group Hamas is set to announce on July 30 that it will lay down its heavy arms and put them in storage in exchange for Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, local media in Gaza reported the same day. Also on July 30, a diplomatic official told The Times of Israel that some progress had been made in talks with Hamas toward the second phase of the ceasefire, which envisions a Palestinian technocratic government and an international stabilization force to replace Hamas.