Tel Aviv, Aug. 5 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday publicly rejected a draft proposal put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration regarding the disarmament and demilitarization of Gaza, insisting that Israeli forces will not withdraw from their positions until Hamas is completely disarmed.
In a video statement posted on Instagram, Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s uncompromising position on national security and its military presence in the Gaza Strip.
“I stand firm on our security interests,” Netanyahu said. “We will not withdraw from our current lines until Hamas is completely disarmed.”
Netanyahu confirmed that while Washington had shared a draft plan to disarm and demilitarize Gaza, Israel rejected the proposal and submitted its own comments before media reports about the initiative emerged. His remarks directly contradicted President Trump’s claim that “Israel is very happy about it.”
“President Trump and his team think they can bring Hamas to disarm and demilitarize Gaza. We are looking into it,” Netanyahu said. “They sent us a draft. We didn’t agree to it. It’s not our draft. We sent our comments. By the way, we sent our comments before there was a media campaign about it.”
Reaffirming the mandate given to Israeli forces, Netanyahu said troops have been instructed “to do whatever is necessary to defend themselves, defend our territory, and defend our citizens.”
The prime minister concluded by underscoring Israel’s position: “This is our position. And we stand firm on our interests. I think both wisely and firmly.”
Earlier Monday, in a major clarification regarding the implementation of the Gaza transition framework, the Board of Peace confirmed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will not withdraw beyond the “Yellow Line” until all weapons in the Gaza Strip have been fully decommissioned.
The “Yellow Line” refers to a military zone extending approximately 6 miles (10 kilometers) north of the border inside southern Lebanon. Israeli officials have indicated they intend to maintain control of the zone while reserving the right to conduct strikes there, citing efforts to eliminate Hezbollah’s presence, according to Al Jazeera.
The announcement followed high-level talks between High Representative Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace delegation, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his senior team.
Addressing recent speculation over the timeline for an Israeli withdrawal, the Board of Peace rejected reports suggesting an early or partial pullback.
“Contrary to inaccurate reports, we note that the withdrawal of the IDF beyond the Yellow Line will take place only once decommissioning is complete, as Hamas committed to the mediators. This applies to light weapons, heavy weapons, and the tunnels alike,” the Board of Peace said in a statement.
The meeting between Board of Peace lead envoy Nickolay Mladenov and Netanyahu focused on implementing the broader transition from armed control in Gaza to a stable civilian authority.
The developments come after President Trump on Friday hailed the Board of Peace agreement to disarm Hamas under a new Gaza roadmap as a “great breakthrough” and said Israel was satisfied with the understanding reached.
“We do have an understanding with Israel. Israel is very happy about it. They’ve been very good about it. Most people said that would be a deal that would be undoable,” Trump said. (ANI)
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