US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace on Monday assured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel's withdrawal in Gaza would only begin after Hamas's complete disarmament, following his objections. Two members of Netanyahu's security cabinet had urged a vote to tear up the deal championed by Trump after the board released a text that called for Israel to begin a phased withdrawal. Netanyahu's office said it had raised concerns to the United States, after Trump on Friday hailed as a "major milestone" an agreement by Hamas to hand over weapons to a nascent Palestinian governing committee.
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Cover image: Palestinos caminan entre los escombros de edificios residenciales destruidos durante la ofensiva israelí, mientras los desplazados se refugian en tiendas de campaña, en la ciudad de Gaza, 4 de julio de 2026. © Reuters/Mahmoud Issa
Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza under the Board of Peace, met with Netanyahu on Monday for what he acknowledged was difficult work. But the board said it had reached a "common understanding of the shared objectives" with Israel. Israel's withdrawal beyond the Yellow Line, which demarcates the area in which Hamas still has control, "will take place only once decommissioning (of weapons) is complete, as Hamas committed to the mediators", the board said on X. Read moreFamine in Gaza: 'The repercussions will continue for generations' Even if Israel withdraws under the plan, it would maintain control of much of Gaza under a Trump-led October ceasefire. Trump-Netanyahu gap Israel had objected to the board's Thursday text that called for a phased withdrawal within the territory and the immediate cessation of Israeli strikes in Gaza. "Israel has conveyed its comments and concerns on the proposed framework to our American counterparts. The version that has been made public does not reflect Israel's positions," Doron Spielman, spokesman for the prime minister's office, told AFP ahead of the Mladenov meeting. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had said that the text was "completely different" to the one presented to Netanyahu's security cabinet and along with a colleague had demanded that the cabinet "immediately" hold a new vote on the Gaza plan.
