Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel would not withdraw from its current positions in the Gaza Strip until Hamas had been fully disarmed, rejecting a draft proposal sent by U.S. President Donald Trump’s team.
“I stand firm on our security interests,” Netanyahu said. “We will not withdraw from our current lines until Hamas is completely disarmed.”
His remarks came amid a growing dispute over the terms of an emerging Gaza agreement, including the timing of an Israeli withdrawal and the mechanism for dismantling Hamas’ weapons, tunnels and military infrastructure.
Earlier Tuesday, Israeli forces in Gaza received new instructions limiting attacks to strikes required to eliminate immediate threats. Targeted killings now require approval from the IDF chief of staff and the political leadership.
The directive followed a request by Board of Peace Director-General Nikolay Mladenov for Israel to halt attacks for two weeks to allow negotiations with Hamas to be completed.
Netanyahu stressed that the tighter operational rules did not prevent troops from defending themselves.
“We are instructing IDF soldiers to do everything necessary to defend themselves, defend our territory and defend our citizens,” he said.
The broader disagreement centers on whether Israel must begin withdrawing gradually as Hamas gives up portions of its arsenal or whether any pullback should occur only after the terrorist group has been fully disarmed.
The Board of Peace said Monday that an IDF withdrawal beyond the yellow line would take place only after the completion of Hamas’ disarmament, including light weapons, heavy weapons and tunnels.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Board of Peace Director-General Nikolay Mladenov
(Photo: GPO)
The Board initially referred to a “full withdrawal” beyond the yellow line but later removed the word “full” from its statement.
Netanyahu said Trump and his advisers believed they could secure Hamas’ disarmament and the demilitarization of Gaza, but emphasized that Israel had not accepted the proposal it received.
“President Trump and his team believe they can bring about Hamas’ disarmament and demilitarize Gaza,” he said. “We are examining that. They sent us a draft. We did not agree to it. It is not our draft.”
Netanyahu added that Israel had already submitted its comments before the dispute became the subject of public debate.
“We sent our comments, and we sent them before the media campaign on the matter began,” he said. “That is our position. We stand firm on our interests, both wisely and forcefully.”