Israeli officials have communicated reservations regarding a U.S.-brokered disarmament agreement with Hamas, according to statements made by Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. The concerns center on Israeli intelligence assessments indicating that Hamas intends to continue military reconstruction rather than engage in genuine disarmament. Israeli authorities have stated they will not withdraw from Gaza, where they currently control over 60 percent of territory, until Hamas fully disarms.
The disarmament proposal, which Trump announced earlier in the week, forms part of a broader 20-point ceasefire plan that envisions Hamas surrendering its weapons, destroying tunnel networks, Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, establishment of a new Palestinian technocratic government, deployment of international security forces, and reconstruction efforts in the Palestinian territory. According to the agreement details, weapons held by Hamas-run police are to be transferred to a U.S.-backed Palestinian administrative committee upon its arrival in Gaza. Decommissioning of heavy weapons and dismantling of military infrastructure would follow subsequent deployment of international forces, with the process linked to phased Israeli withdrawal.
Israeli officials have raised several specific conditions regarding implementation, including maintaining freedom for military operations in Gaza, limiting involvement by Qatar and Turkey in verification procedures, and ensuring confiscated weapons are destroyed. Spielman stated that disarmament requires “physically giving up the weapons” and emphasized concerns that premature Israeli redeployment could allow Hamas to expand operations and threaten Israeli communities.
The ceasefire was originally signed nine months earlier to end a nearly three-year conflict. Hamas announced its intention to begin disarming as part of the agreement. However, Israeli leadership faces domestic political pressures ahead of elections scheduled for October, with coalition partners advocating for continued military presence in Gaza while opposition figures raise other criticisms. Israeli military operations in Gaza have continued since the ceasefire signing, with strikes on Sunday resulting in at least 17 casualties according to local hospital reports.
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