Trump will be 'very disappointed' if Israel obstructs his Gaza plan, US official warns

US President Donald Trump will be "very disappointed" if Israel doesn't allow for the advancement of his 20-point plan for the reconstruction of Gaza, a senior US official said on Thursday.
The warning was issued during a briefing with reporters shortly after Trump announced that Hamas had approved the disarmament plan put forward by his Board of Peace.
Responding to reports of a breakthrough in talks between the Board of Peace and Hamas in Egypt earlier Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement pouring cold water on the optimism by claiming that the disarmament proposal did not meet Israel's demands for a full demilitarization of Gaza in exchange for any withdrawals from the Strip.
The statement apparently irked the Trump administration, prompting the senior US official to tell reporters, "We're not asking Israel to do anything that isn't in the 20-point plan that they agreed to initially, and so we're very confident they will adhere to it. If they don't, President Trump would be very, very disappointed."
"We just need them to keep to the original agreement that got their hostages home and ended the war. Gaza was the biggest thorn in their side for many years," the official continued. "With all of the different issues they have going on right now, this is not something they want to escalate as an issue right now."
"We believe that they'll continue to be a good partner in this and comply," the US official added.
"Israel didn't believe we'd get the deal done to get the hostages out. They didn't believe we'd get the bodies out. They're very skeptical that Hamas will disarm... But Hamas did make a deal... and Hamas did come through by getting the bodies out and the hostages, so our intention is to hold Israel to its commitments as well and make sure we can be a fair broker."
"There was a lot of criticism, particularly in Israel, when we invited Turkey and Qatar to join the Board of Peace Gaza Executive Board, but they've been essential partners along with Egypt in helping keep this ceasefire together," he said. "Israel has its own craziness with their politics, and Palestinian aspirations are important. But we're trying to put that to the side and constantly push forward."
A Board of Peace official separately told The Times of Israel that Hamas's authorization triggered a 14-day period during which the sides will finalize the timeline for implementing each subsequent step of the disarmament framework.
The potential timelines on the table for the full disarmament process range from roughly 200 to 350 days, another Board of Peace official said during the briefing.
Once that timeline is locked in, the Board of Peace will begin holding Israel to its commitments from the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire, the second Board of Peace official said.
Israel was supposed to cease striking Gaza and meet a series of benchmarks pertaining to the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip that it has largely ignored.
Now that Hamas has consented to the roadmap, Israel will be expected to withdraw to the original Yellow Line that was established in the October 2025 ceasefire. That demarcation kept Israel in control of roughly 53 percent of Gaza, but Israel has since violated that clause by pushing to occupy as much as 70% of the Strip.
Israel won't be required to withdraw beyond the original Yellow Line until Hamas begins to hand over its weapons, the first Board of Peace official told The Times of Israel, adding that the IDF will only be allowed to respond to what are deemed as imminent threats.
Hamas and all other armed Palestinian factions will also be required to cease all military activity after the initial 14-day period is complete and the timelines for the entire roadmap are set, the second Board of Peace official said.
An Implementation Verification Committee (IVC) will be established to independently confirm that both sides are adhering to their commitments from the October 2025 ceasefire.
The roadmap will not advance to a subsequent phase of decommissioning, withdrawal or reconstruction until the completion of the initial phase has been confirmed by the IVC.
Once it is verified that the sides are adhering to the terms of the October 2025 ceasefire, the Board of Peace's disarmament proposal envisions the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) - the panel of Palestinian technocrats tasked with replacing Hamas in governing the Strip - gradually entering the enclave, the Board of Peace official said.
"Don't get stuck on the dates and the number of days because the timelines really depend on how each phase is implemented," said the second Board of Peace official.
Gradually entering the Strip along with the NCAG will be the International Stabilization Force (ISF) and a new Palestinian police force for Gaza, a Board of Peace official said during a briefing with reporters.
The US official said the Board of Peace has secured commitments for 5,000 troops from various countries. However, only a handful of representatives from Morocco, Kosovo, Albania and Kazakhstan have actually made it to Israel for eventual deployment.
The Board of Peace disarmament proposal approved by Hamas will see the terror group first hand over the weapons held by its police force to the NCAG, the official said.
That will be followed by the decommissioning of heavy weapons, arms depots and tunnels that exist in Gaza.
Personal weapons left in Gaza will be handed over last, in line with existing Palestinian Authority law, which allows for individuals to carry a gun under strict conditions if properly registered.
IDF-backed militias and armed clans in Gaza will also be required to hand over their weapons as part of this process, the Board of Peace official said.
The process will be based on the principle of "one authority, one law and one weapon principle... so that we don't end up in a situation where you have NCAG control during the day and militants coming out during the night to disrupt this process," the Board of Peace official said.
The senior US official said Iran had tried to convince Hamas not to accept the Board of Peace's disarmament proposal, but ultimately failed in that effort.
"Iran would have liked Hamas not to do the deal but... Iran abandoned Hamas a while ago. They can't afford to to keep them going, and I think the Hamas guys realize that they have to do what's best for for themselves and and for the people," the US official said, adding that the disarmament proposal's offer of amnesty to Hamas members who agree to give up their weapons and adhere to Trump's 20-point plan was a key selling point for the terror group.