In first comments, Netanyahu says Israel did not approve Hamas disarmament deal, still ‘looking into it’

Peloni:  Netanyahu speaks out against the attempt in the recently released ‘Roadmap’ for implenting the Gaza plan in which Trump’s 20 Point plan, as bad as it was, is entirely flipped on its head, completely changing the order and evolution of events which were already designated under the original plan as described in UNSC Resolution 2803.  Hamas must be disarmed, and failing this fact, which had a deadline of last October, Hamas must be eliminated.

Opposition criticized prime minister for not explaining decisions to public

PM Netanyahu’s Remarks at the Start of Today’s Government Meeting. Screengrab via X. 

After being criticized for not commenting on the issue earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement Tuesday that Israel had not agreed to the draft disarmament agreement for Hamas and was still analyzing the proposal.

This comes despite U.S. President Donald Trump having announced the agreement last week, and following a meeting between Netanyahu and Gaza Board of Peace (BoP) High Representative Nickolay Mladenov this week.

The BoP confirmed Monday that “contrary to inaccurate reports,” the IDF’s withdrawal under the agreement “will take place only once decommissioning [of Hamas’s weaponry] is complete.” In its statement, the BoP also noted that Hamas is “committed” to this process.

In the short video message on Tuesday, Netanyahu confirmed, “We are not withdrawing from our current lines until Hamas is completely disarmed.”

Earlier this week, ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Orit Strock opposed the agreement, pointing to previous comments by Mladenov and the BoP that indicated Israel would begin withdrawing before the decommissioning was complete.

In its Monday statement, the BoP did not explicitly confirm that Israel had signed off on the agreement that was reached between it and Hamas, only saying, “Israel and the Board of Peace share a common understanding of the ultimate objectives.”

Now, Netanyahu revealed that, from Israel’s perspective, the agreement has not been approved.

“President Trump thinks – or his team thinks – that they can get Hamas to disarm and demilitarize Gaza. We are looking into it. They sent us a draft. We did not agree to it. It was not our draft. We sent back our comments,” Netanyahu said.

He added that comments were made “before we received the media coverage about the issue. That’s our stance, and we stand strongly for our interests, I think with wisdom and also with aggressiveness.”

The prime minister faced criticism from opposition leaders for allowing President Trump to announce what they described as potentially significant decisions affecting Israel’s security, without any official confirmation, denial, or explanation from the Israeli government for several days.

At the time, Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot charged that “Once again, Israeli citizens are learning about a fateful agreement from foreign publications.“

“The fact that the Prime Minister chooses not to present the agreement to the Israeli public raises major question marks as to whether Israel is a partner to it or whether an agreement is once again being imposed on Israel without its involvement,” he said.

In the video, Netanyahu also appeared to deny reports that the IDF was ordered to limit its airstrikes in Gaza so as not to endanger the agreement with Hama. “We’re instructing the IDF soldiers to do everything in order to defend themselves, our territory and our citizens,” he said.

On Tuesday, several Israeli news outlets reported that the Israel Defense Forces significantly tightened the rules of engagement in the Gaza Strip this week, following pressure on Israel from the U.S.-backed Gaza BoP and Arab states to reduce its strikes and give diplomacy with the Hamas terror group another chance.

Amid the growing pressure on Israel, Hamas has also yet to publicly approve the agreement.

In a first reaction, senior official Ghazi Hamad told Al Jazeera that the terror group would refuse to “take any step regarding disarmament before Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip,” which runs counter to all reported stipulations of the agreement.

Speaking to Ynet News, leaders of anti-Hamas militias in the Gaza Strip asserted that the terrorists would never lay down their weapons.

Hussam al-Astal, head of a Khan Younis-based militia, said: “They know that if they surrender their weapons today, they will be killed by the people, not by us. And I am telling you, this agreement will not move forward.”

“Everything else can be discussed, but the weapons are a complicated issue,” he added.