The withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces units from the Gaza Strip will not take place until the full disarmament of Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made this statement on Sunday during a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.
The head of the Israeli government publicly rejected a 15-point document—a disarmament roadmap announced on July 30 by U.S. President Donald Trump's Peace Council. Netanyahu stressed that the group's disarmament must be 'real, not fictitious' and include giving up both heavy and less heavy as well as any other weapons.
According to the Prime Minister, Jerusalem continues to discuss the situation with Donald Trump's administration. Netanyahu noted that the American side has proposals, some of which are acceptable to Israel and some of which are not. He also added that Trump's team expects to convince Hamas to demilitarize the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli side is studying this possibility, while emphasizing the intention to suppress any threats to Israeli military personnel and civilians.
Earlier on Saturday, AFP reported, citing a Hamas representative, that the group had notified the U.S. administration of its agreement to the terms of the roadmap. The document provides for laying down arms and handing over control of the Gaza Strip to a technocratic Palestinian body; however, Hamas linked the start of implementation to Israel's approval of the agreement and called on the U.S. to exert pressure on the Israeli authorities.
At the same time, Israeli Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Eli Cohen stated on Channel 14 that Jerusalem opposes the 15-point plan in its current form. Cohen called Hamas's actions an attempt at deception aimed at securing a 'hudna'—a temporary truce to regroup forces—and emphasized that 'the era of the hudna is over.'
Israeli Prime Minister's international spokesperson Doron Spielman, in an interview with Newsmax, noted 17 ceasefire violations by Hamas in a single day. According to him, the violations included attempts to cross the 'yellow line' to launch attacks, building tunnels, and rearming.
Spielman clearly distinguished between Trump's 20-point plan, which Israel had previously agreed to, and the Peace Council's new 15-point proposal negotiated with Hamas through the mediation of Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt. He emphasized that Israel did not participate in drafting the latter document.
Source: jns.org
