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Disarmament vs Withdrawal
U.S. President Donald Trump’s newly announced Gaza framework for “complete disarmament” and phased Israeli withdrawal is colliding with Israeli conditions, with an Israeli political source telling AFP there would be “no withdrawal whatsoever” of the Israel Defense Forces from the current Yellow Line until Hamas undergoes what Israel considers “genuine disarmament.”
“there would be "no withdrawal whatsoever" of the Israel Defense Forces from the current Yellow Line”
Hamas negotiator Ghazi Hamad said the group would not implement the agreement unless Israel fulfills its own obligations, including ending attacks and withdrawing forces, as the sequencing dispute goes to how the roadmap’s reciprocal steps would work.
AP reported Hamas said it will begin disarming as part of a deal that also requires Israel to end its strikes and withdraw from Gaza, while Israel’s current government rejected the idea of a Palestinian state.
The BBC said a senior Israeli official told it troops will not pull back from their current positions without the “genuine disarmament” of Hamas, while Hamas said handing over heavy weapons was contingent on Israel ending “all forms of aggression” and withdrawing its forces from Gaza.
In the middle of the standoff, Trump said the deal would be carried out in “carefully structured phases,” with disarmament linked to Israeli withdrawal and an International Stabilization Force working alongside a new Palestinian police force.
Ben Gvir Rejects Draft
Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir publicly dismissed the emerging draft as “not acceptable,” writing that “The targeted killings in Gaza must continue” and calling for “encouraging emigration” from the territory.
The BBC reported that Ben Gvir dismissed the draft as “not acceptable” after Trump said the Board of Peace had reached an agreement for the “complete disarmament” of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza.
Hamas said it agreed to the mediators’ proposal to complete stages of the ceasefire agreement, while the Gaza Peace Council published a “Roadmap for Completing the Implementation of President Trump’s Comprehensive Peace Plan in Gaza” that set out security, administrative, and transitional arrangements.
In a statement carried by the BBC, Hamas said Israel’s commitment to ending its attack on Gaza was a “fundamental prerequisite” for moving forward with the deal and a guaranteed right to “self-determination, establishing an independent Palestinian state.”
On the ground, a BBC Newsbeat interview with Tala, an 18-year-old living in a tent in Gaza since her home was destroyed in air strikes, said “every time people hear about a possible ceasefire, we hope that it will finally end,” while warning that broken promises “creates more fear.”
What Comes Next
The roadmap’s implementation hinges on who moves first, with the plan envisioning Hamas and other factions relinquishing weapons and transferring civilian and security responsibilities to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza while Israeli forces withdraw as demilitarization progresses.
“between 200 and 350 days”
AP said a copy of the agreement obtained and verified by the Associated Press described how all weapons held by the Hamas-run police would be transferred to the U.S.-backed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza upon its arrival in the enclave, while heavy weapons and tunnels were to come later in a process that could take between 200 and 350 days.
The BBC reported that the deal was meant to leave Israel in temporary control of the area behind the Yellow Line, equating to 53% of Gaza’s territory, while it also noted Netanyahu recently said the IDF controlled more than 60% and that his “directive” was to move to 70%.
Euronews said Trump did not announce a timeline for completion, but described the process as “carefully structured phases,” with Israel withdrawing after disarmament is complete and an International Stabilisation Force working with Palestinian police.
Against that backdrop, the stakes are explicit in the dispute itself: an Israeli official said there will be no Israeli withdrawal before the militant group is disarmed and the strip demilitarized, while Hamas said it would not take steps toward disarmament before Israeli forces withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
