Jerusalem, Aug 2026 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will not withdraw its forces from their current positions in Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed, signalling that the issue of weapons and security arrangements remains a major hurdle in negotiations over the next phase of the ceasefire. In a video message released on social media, Netanyahu said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had been instructed to take all necessary measures to protect Israeli soldiers, the country’s territory and its citizens. Netanyahu also addressed a proposal linked to US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace initiative, saying Washington had sent Israel a draft concerning the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups.
However, he stressed that Israel had not accepted the document in its present form. “The White House sent us a draft, but we did not agree to it. It is not our draft. We sent our comments,” Netanyahu said, indicating that negotiations over the proposal remain ongoing.
Trump had earlier said that his proposed “Board of Peace” framework sought the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed factions operating in Gaza. The proposal is part of a broader roadmap aimed at establishing a new political and administrative structure in the territory. Hamas, meanwhile, has said it agreed to the latest version of the roadmap for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire following what it described as intensive negotiations.
However, the group has linked any arrangements concerning its weapons to a complete halt to Israeli military operations, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and progress on reconstruction. The issue has assumed greater urgency amid continued violence in the enclave. Israeli strikes over the weekend reportedly killed dozens of people, including children and other civilians.
Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye, which have been involved as mediators in the ceasefire negotiations, jointly condemned the reported strikes. Under the proposed international framework, Hamas would relinquish its civilian and military governing roles in Gaza. Administration of the territory would instead be transferred to a transitional Palestinian body known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
According to senior US administration officials, the committee would be an independent Palestinian body responsible for civilian administration and internal security during the transitional period. The proposed arrangement would transfer responsibility for public institutions, essential services and law enforcement to the committee. It would also require a comprehensive review of Gaza’s financial and administrative systems before reconstruction efforts begin.
The roadmap represents a significant shift in the proposed governance structure for Gaza, but Netanyahu’s latest comments underline the continuing disagreement over disarmament, Israeli troop positions and the sequencing of the proposed transition. With Israel insisting on Hamas’s complete disarmament and Hamas demanding an end to military operations and Israeli withdrawal, these issues are expected to remain central to negotiations over the future of Gaza. (The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
