Netanyahu insists no Gaza withdrawal without full Hamas disarmament

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel will not withdraw from its current lines in the Gaza Strip until Hamas has completely disarmed. His statement threw further uncertainty on the recently announced US-brokered arrangement, which had been seen as a possible breakthrough to end the war. It also exposed a rare public disagreement with the Trump administration.

Under the proposed deal, Hamas would begin handing over its weapons, Israel would stop its strikes and start pulling back from the roughly 60% of Gaza it currently controls. The plan was based on an October ceasefire that halted major military operations and secured the release of the remaining hostages, but it has remained stalled on other issues.

Netanyahu, who faces a difficult reelection battle in October, repeated his position that disarmament must come first. He said Israeli forces would continue to do whatever is necessary to protect themselves, Israeli territory and its citizens. In a video posted on social media, he said the Trump administration had sent a draft, but Israel did not accept it because it was not their draft. He added that Israel had sent its own comments and remained firm on its interests.

The US-backed October ceasefire agreement called for Hamas to be disarmed and Israel to withdraw. An International Stabilization Force was to be deployed, and an independent Palestinian administration was to take charge of governance and reconstruction. Israel maintains that everything depends on Hamas giving up its weapons, while Hamas insists that Israel must end its strikes and begin withdrawing from the territory. Each side accuses the other of violating the truce.