PM tells envoys no IDF pullback or reconstruction in Gaza before full Hamas disarmament, official tells ToI

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted during his meeting today with envoys from the White House and the US-backed Board of Peace that Israel would not redeploy any of its forces in Gaza or allow reconstruction to begin until the Strip is completely disarmed, a senior Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

“The agreement was that there would be no redeployment or reconstruction until Hamas is disarmed throughout Gaza,” the official says of the premier’s four-hour meeting with Trump aide Jared Kushner and Board of Peace officials Nickolay Mladenov and Tony Blair.

According to a CNN report, citing an Israeli source familiar with the discussions, Kushner pressed Netanyahu during the lengthy meeting to “not create obstacles” to the implementation of the Board’s plan for disarming Hamas, which is meant to be paired with a gradual withdrawal of the IDF from the enclave.

Hamas has said it accepted the framework, but Netanyahu rejected the proposal, insisting that the terror group fully disarm before any Israeli withdrawals from the Strip.

According to the report, Netanyahu told Kushner and Mladenov that progress on the 15-point framework was politically “problematic” ahead of Israel’s October 27 election, insisting instead that Hamas take steps first.

Under the Gaza ceasefire that took effect in October, the Strip was split roughly evenly between Israeli and Hamas control, but Israel has since taken control of more territory. Pressed on whether Netanyahu said the IDF would not even withdraw to the original line demarcated in October, the senior Israeli official indicates that no withdrawal whatsoever would be approved before the full disarmament of Hamas’s light and heavy weapons.

“The prime minister was very clear that the IDF won’t redeploy and will continue to actively thwart any effort against our forces and against our people,” the official says.

During the meeting, Netanyahu agreed to establish two working groups focused on Gaza’s demilitarization and humanitarian needs, his office said in a statement. The official could not provide further details on the composition or precise role of the groups, or the timeline for their establishment.

“The first step towards the demilitarization of the Strip would be for Hamas to hand over all of its weapons for decommissioning,” the official says, adding that this would be under US supervision. “It was also agreed to that we’d support any efforts to help with sanitation and any other health and environmental concerns,” the official adds.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also partook in the meeting, the official says, though they did not say who participated on the Israeli side besides Netanyahu.