Meeting with Kushner, PM doubles down on IDF remaining in Gaza until Hamas disarmed

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted during a meeting Monday 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 was completely disarmed, a senior Israeli official told The Times of Israel. "The agreement was that there would be no redeployment or reconstruction until Hamas is disarmed throughout Gaza," the official said 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 15-point plan for disarming Hamas and moving toward the second and reconstruction-focused phase of Trump's Gaza peace plan. Hamas has said it accepted the framework, which envisions the group gradually handing over its weapons, as Israel conducts corresponding withdrawals from Gaza, but Netanyahu has 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 late-October elections, insisting instead that Hamas take steps first. Pressed on whether Netanyahu said the IDF would not withdraw at all -- including back to the originally agreed-upon Yellow Line, which it has since moved several hundred meters beyond at Netanyahu's instruction -- the senior Israeli official indicated that no withdrawal whatsoever would be approved before the full disarmament of both 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 said. "The first step towards the demilitarization of the Strip would be for Hamas to hand over all of its weapons for decommissioning," the official said, 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 added. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also partook in the meeting, the official said, though they did not say who participated on the Israeli side besides Netanyahu. In its statement, the Prime Minister's Office called the meeting "deep and constructive." Netanyahu's office said the officials agreed to establish two "working groups, one on disarmament and demilitarization of Gaza, which both Israel and the Board of Peace are determined should be prompt and completed before any reconstruction happens in Gaza." "A second working group will focus on sanitation, clean water and other public health issues for the people of Gaza and which also impact the people of Israel," the statement concluded. In a separate statement, a Board of Peace official described the meeting as "lengthy, in depth, and very productive," saying: "We agreed with the PM on a path forward. The Israelis are going to give this a chance. Now it's up to Hamas to show if it truly intends to comply." In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Trump was asked about his aides' diplomatic tour. He indicated progress on Hamas disarming under his plan, and said that Israel should not be striking Gaza right now. "We have our own relationship with Hamas. They are giving up their guns," the US president said. Several regional powers, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, issued a statement Sunday condemning Israel's rejection of the roadmap, saying, "Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza." Other signers included Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, and the ceasefire mediators. The foreign ministers' statement called on the Board of Peace and the US to take "immediate and concrete measures" to keep any party from obstructing the plan's implementation. Israel had no immediate response. The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages.