Newsletters
Israel has conveyed concerns to the U.S. about a Gaza framework praised by President Donald Trump after Hamas said it had agreed to disarm and transfer its weapons to a Palestinian governing committee, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Monday.
“Israel has conveyed its comments and concerns on the proposed framework to our American counterparts,” Netanyahu’s office spokesman Doron Spielman told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“The version that has been made public does not reflect Israel’s positions,” he said.
Hamas announced Friday that it had agreed to surrender its arsenal to a Palestinian governing committee and accept a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza as part of the next stage of a ceasefire agreement.
The deal, brokered through Trump’s Board of Peace, is intended to implement the long-delayed second phase of a ceasefire plan in place since October.
Trump described the agreement as Hamas’ “complete disarmament” and called it a “major milestone” in efforts to end the war that began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Trump also told reporters that Israel was “very happy” with the development.
Spielman said Israeli intelligence had determined that Hamas had been rearming and recruiting forces since the ceasefire announced by Trump in October.
The ceasefire reduced the level of violence, although Israel continued carrying out strikes in Gaza.
Spielman said Hamas’ actions showed that the group was preparing for “further October 7-style massacres.”
He noted that the plan released by Trump’s Board of Peace called for Gaza to become “a deradicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours.”
“That vision stands in direct contrast to the current reality and to Hamas’s stated intentions,” Spielman said.
“The indispensable first step toward any lasting arrangement is the genuine, verifiable and irreversible demilitarisation of Hamas.”
“Anything short of full demilitarisation will leave Hamas with the capability to threaten Israel again,” he added.
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel, which continues to control most of the Gaza Strip, would not withdraw its forces under the plan before verifying that Hamas had disarmed.
Israeli officials and far-right members of Netanyahu’s government expressed skepticism immediately after Hamas announced its agreement.
A senior Hamas official said the group would implement the disarmament agreement announced by Trump only after Israel fulfilled its own obligations, including withdrawing its forces and ending attacks.
Palestinian sources told Türkiye’s state-run Anadolu Agency that the roadmap for the second phase of the ceasefire included a 14-day implementation trigger.
The sources also described a weapons-storage mechanism under which arms would remain inside Gaza under Palestinian control.
The disclosures provided further details about what Trump called a “historic breakthrough” involving the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups.
Trump said the agreement was reached with assistance from Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye.
The sequencing of the two sides’ obligations remains a central issue, with Hamas linking its actions to an Israeli withdrawal and an end to attacks, while Israel says it will not withdraw before disarmament is verified.
Israel continued conducting strikes after Hamas announced its acceptance of the agreement.
Palestinian authorities said Sunday that Israeli attacks had killed at least 13 people.
The proposed framework calls for Hamas to hand over its weapons to a developing Palestinian governing committee while Israeli forces withdraw from Gaza in stages.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
