Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his rejection of a U.S. Gaza plan during televised remarks to his right-wing cabinet on Sunday, stating that Israel will not withdraw its military from the Gaza Strip until Hamas is fully disarmed.
The remarks come as Netanyahu campaigns for re-election ahead of a vote scheduled for October 27. He faces political tension between far-right ministers opposed to concessions in Gaza and U.S. President Donald Trump, whose 15-point peace plan aims to end the conflict.
Israel has scaled back its military operations in Gaza since Monday following a meeting between Netanyahu and Nikolay Mladenov, the Gaza envoy for Trump’s Board of Peace, which oversees the ceasefire. A source familiar with Israel’s position stated that the military agreed to act only against immediate threats and to halt the near-daily targeted assassinations it had previously conducted.
Trump announced last month that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a breakthrough plan involving the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the disarmament of Hamas, and the deployment of an International Stabilisation Force alongside a new Palestinian police force to secure the enclave. However, disputes over timing have stalled implementation. Israel insists its troops will not move until Hamas disarms, while Hamas maintains that Israel must halt attacks before it begins implementing the disarmament provisions.
“Israel does not accept the 15-point document,” Netanyahu said at the cabinet meeting. He added that the military “will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed … it means heavy weaponry, lighter weaponry, all weaponry. And we are talking about genuine disarmament, not fictitious disarmament.” Netanyahu also noted that Israel is currently in talks with the United States regarding the plan, stating that Washington has proposed ideas, “some of which are acceptable to us and some of which are unacceptable to us.”
Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, told Reuters on Sunday that the group remains committed to the roadmap agreed upon with mediators in Cairo 10 days prior.
“We expect the mediators and the United States guarantor to press Netanyahu and his government to adhere to the roadmap and not obstruct the process for internal political and electoral reasons, while continuing to jeopardise the region’s security and stability,” Naim said.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich voiced support for Netanyahu’s position in a statement, saying, “We went to war with a central goal: the destruction of Hamas. The (military) cannot withdraw even a milimetre from the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip cannot begin any process of reconstruction before the complete dismantling and demobilisation of Hamas and the Gaza Strip.”
Trump stated last month that Hamas had agreed to lay down its weapons. While Hamas avoids the term “disarmament,” the group stated it agreed to hand over weapons to be stored under a U.S.-backed Palestinian technocrat administration operating under the supervision of Trump’s Board of Peace. Hamas indicated it accepted the plan to prevent a resumption of the war, but maintained that implementation depends on Israel fulfilling its commitments, including troop withdrawals.
Article and image source: cyprus-mail.com
