Israel is demanding the complete disarmament of Hamas, including the removal of weapons from Gaza and the full demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, as a precondition for any withdrawal process, a diplomatic source told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. The 15-point document under discussion does not adequately address these demands, and Israel conveyed its reservations on the matter to former UK prime minister Tony Blair, who is serving as an envoy. There will be no Israeli withdrawal from the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip before Hamas is disarmed and the Gaza Strip is demilitarized, the source emphasized.
Notably, the issue of Gaza did not come up at all during the meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, the source added. In contrast, Axios reported that the US expects to make a deal with Hamas in the coming days. "We think we've managed to bring Hamas to a place where they can't say no," one source familiar with negotiations said. The source added that the Trump administration and the Board of Peace were working towards cutting off Hamas's funding sources abroad.
Another official told Axios that Israel was briefed on the meeting in Cairo. "Everything is fully coordinated, and Israel knows all the details," a separate source told Axios. "This is a good deal for Israel because it takes care of the Gaza problem," the source said. "If Hamas cheats, everything stops, and Israel will not have given up anything." (Read More)