Netanyahu says Israel did not agree to US-backed Gaza plan

Israel - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel did not agree to a US-backed plan for Gaza, even after receiving assurances that an Israeli pullout would only happen after Hamas disarms.

After meeting with the Board of Peace, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel did not agree to a US-backed plan for Gaza.
After meeting with the Board of Peace, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel did not agree to a US-backed plan for Gaza.  © ILIA YEFIMOVICH / AFP

In a video posted to his social media accounts on Tuesday night, Netanyahu said the team of President Donald Trump "believes that they can bring about the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of Gaza. We are checking this. They sent us a draft – we did not agree to it, it is not our draft. We sent our comments."

Netanyahu met with the US-backed Board of Peace on Monday and received guarantees that the Israeli army would only be required to leave its current positions in Gaza after Hamas disarms.

But pressure has been growing on the premier from his far-right coalition partners to reject the deal.

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Hamas on Tuesday called for clarifications from the Board of Peace, voicing "unease" over comments it made regarding the group's prospective disarmament and Israel's withdrawal in Gaza.

A Hamas official said Tuesday that Hamas and other Palestinian factions "are uneasy with the statement issued by (Nickolay) Mladenov after his meeting with Netanyahu," referring to the high representative for Gaza under the Board of Peace.

"The statement focused solely on the issue of weapons and failed to address the occupation's obligations, particularly those related to humanitarian aspects and Israel's commitment to halting its aggression, including aerial and artillery bombardment, gunfire, assassinations and military operations in the Gaza Strip," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Another Hamas official said the group was waiting for a "clear and official response" from Mladenov regarding the "agreed-upon terms, Mladenov's position on the Israeli military escalation in Gaza, and the ongoing policy of stalling on the implementation of the agreement."

Israel accused of obstructing Gaza agreement

The flag-covered remains of members of the Abu Sharia and al-Hasayna families, recently recovered from the rubble of residential buildings in the al-Sabra neighborhood which were struck by Israeli bombardments in November 2023, are pictured during a mass funeral in Gaza City on August 4, 2026.
The flag-covered remains of members of the Abu Sharia and al-Hasayna families, recently recovered from the rubble of residential buildings in the al-Sabra neighborhood which were struck by Israeli bombardments in November 2023, are pictured during a mass funeral in Gaza City on August 4, 2026.  © OMAR AL-QATTAA / AFP

Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, which are mediating the truce in Gaza, have criticized Israel after renewed strikes in the Palestinian territory.

Qatar blamed Israel on Tuesday for delays in implementing the Trump plan for Gaza.

"It is clear to the international community who is obstructing the implementation of the agreement," Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari told reporters. "The full responsibility lies on the Israeli side."

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An increase in Israeli strikes in Gaza over recent days was "nothing more than an attempt to derail the plan's implementation and block peaceful solutions," he added.

Following Monday's meeting with Netanyahu, the Board of Peace posted on X that Israel's withdrawal beyond the Yellow Line, which demarcates the area between Hamas and Israeli military control, "will take place only once decommissioning (of weapons) is complete, as Hamas committed to the mediators."

The stance appears to contradict what Mladenov said on Friday, when he posted on X that: "Withdrawal must move in lockstep with decommissioning."

Cover photo: ILIA YEFIMOVICH / AFP

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