Israel conveys "concerns" to US on Gaza plan as it continues deadly strikes

Israel - Israel has conveyed concerns to the US on a Gaza plan hailed by President Donald Trump after Hamas said it had agreed on disarmament, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Monday.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a news conference in Jerusalem on June 15, 2026.   © RONEN ZVULUN / POOL / AFP

"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, spokesperson for the prime minister's office, told AFP.

He claimed Israeli intelligence had found that Hamas had been rearming and recruiting forces since a ceasefire announced by Trump in October, though Israel has kept up strikes.

Hamas announced on Friday that it had agreed to the next stage of a deal that includes handing over weapons to a nascent Palestinian governing committee.

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Trump called the move a "major milestone" in efforts to end Israel's devastating assault on Gaza, underway since October 2023, and told reporters that Israel was "very happy" about the developments.

But Netanyahu's spokesperson claimed Hamas' actions showed it was preparing for "further October 7-style massacres" and noted that the plan released by Trump's Board of Peace called for Gaza to be "a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors."

"That vision stands in direct contrast to the current reality and to Hamas' stated intentions. The indispensable first step toward any lasting arrangement is the genuine, verifiable and irreversible demilitarization of Hamas," he said.

"Anything short of full demilitarisation will leave Hamas with the capability to threaten Israel again."

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, earlier said that Israel, which still controls most of the Gaza Strip, would not withdraw forces under the plan without verifying disarmament by Hamas.

Israel kept up strikes after the Hamas announcement, with Palestinian authorities on Sunday reporting that Israeli attacks killed at least 13 people.

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Israel's assault has been deemed a genocide by numerous human rights organizations and experts, while Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court on accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.