Israel will not withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip or agree to a ceasefire before Hamas is fully disarmed, according to positions communicated by the Israeli authorities and the US-led Board of Peace.
The Board of Peace stated that the Israel Defense Forces would withdraw behind the Yellow Line only after the disarmament process had been completed. It said Hamas had already committed to the process before the mediators and clarified that the requirement covered light and heavy weapons, as well as the group’s network of tunnels.
The statement followed US President Donald Trump’s claim that an agreement had been reached on the disarmament of Hamas. Under the plan presented by the Board of Peace, Hamas would be required to hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority.
Hamas, however, has said that implementation of the plan depends on an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza. The group has also stated that it would surrender its heavy weapons only after the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Israel has rejected that sequence of events. Its position is that Israeli forces will leave Gaza only after Hamas has been completely disarmed. Israel has also rejected the possibility of the weapons being stored inside the territory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly communicated this position to Nikolay Mladenov, the chief representative of the Board of Peace for Gaza. Netanyahu said that Israel would neither abandon the positions it currently controls in Gaza nor cease its military operations.
The Israeli prime minister argued that Hamas was rebuilding its military capabilities and represented an immediate threat to Israeli soldiers and communities near the Gaza Strip. During their meeting, Mladenov called for an end to the attacks so that the disarmament agreement could be implemented.
Israel’s National Security Council had previously submitted Netanyahu’s objections to the Board of Peace and Trump’s team. The proposed roadmap would link the disarmament of Hamas with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces and the transfer of Gaza to civilian administration.
The conflicting positions leave the order of implementation unresolved. Israel insists that the full disarmament of Hamas must come before any withdrawal or ceasefire, while Hamas links the surrender of its heavy weapons to a complete Israeli withdrawal and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The Board of Peace was established at the beginning of the year to implement the Gaza peace plan mediated by Trump. Its participating countries include Argentina, Hungary, Albania, Belarus, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Türkiye. The initiative has generated controversy, with most European Union countries viewing it as a potential competitor to the United Nations and either refusing membership or accepting observer status.
