“The IDF will not withdraw from the Yellow Line, will remain in its current deployment and will continue to thwart any threat to our forces and our citizens,” Netanyahu said<./strong>
By United with Israel Staff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace agreed Monday that Hamas must be disarmed and the Gaza Strip demilitarized before any reconstruction begins, the Prime Minister’s Office said following hours of talks.
Netanyahu met for approximately four hours with Jared Kushner, Tony Blair, Nikolay Mladenov and other members of the Board of Peace to discuss implementation of the next phase of the U.S.-backed Gaza framework.
“The prime minister and the Board of Peace held in-depth and constructive discussions,” the PMO said.
The sides agreed to establish two joint working groups, with the first dedicated specifically to Hamas’s disarmament and the broader demilitarization of Gaza.
According to the PMO, Israel and the Board of Peace are determined that the process be carried out rapidly and completed before any reconstruction work begins in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli officials said the first step would require Hamas to surrender its weapons for destruction under American supervision. The process would apply to both heavy and light weapons, ruling out proposals that would allow Hamas to simply store or decommission its arsenal inside Gaza.
Kushner reportedly reiterated during the talks that “there is nothing to rebuild before the Strip is demilitarized.”
The second working group will focus on sanitation, access to clean water and other public-health issues affecting Gaza residents that could also have consequences for Israelis.
Netanyahu also made clear during the talks that Israel would not withdraw from the current Yellow Line or surrender the IDF’s freedom to operate against threats in Gaza.
“The IDF will not withdraw from the Yellow Line, will remain in its current deployment and will continue to thwart any threat to our forces and our citizens,” Netanyahu said, according to an Israeli official. “There will be no change in the targeted elimination policy.”
The understanding would allow Israel to continue targeting terrorists posing immediate threats as well as Hamas terrorists who participated in the October 7 massacre.
Despite the progress, a fundamental disagreement remains over whether Hamas will actually surrender its weapons. Israeli officials said Jerusalem remains deeply skeptical that the terrorist organization intends to disarm, while the American side believes genuine demilitarization remains achievable.
During Monday’s meeting, Israeli officials presented Kushner with material they said demonstrated that no meaningful Hamas disarmament had taken place during the recent period, as well as information concerning alleged Turkish financing of the terrorist organization.
The discussions followed Kushner’s meeting with senior Hamas officials in Egypt on Sunday. According to Saudi reports, Kushner and Mladenov rejected a Hamas proposal that would have allowed its weapons to remain stored inside Gaza, instead demanding that Hamas surrender its arsenal and dismantle its military infrastructure.
The official PMO announcement following Monday’s talks now establishes a clear sequence for moving forward: disarmament and demilitarization must be completed before reconstruction of Gaza begins.