Israel has informed the U.S. administration of what it described as “serious” security concerns regarding the proposed agreement to disarm Hamas, stressing that it will not agree to withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip before verifying that the disarmament process has been fully implemented. This marks Israel’s first official public position since U.S. President Donald Trump revealed key aspects of the proposed agreement in recent days.
Israel Insists on Remaining in Gaza Until Hamas Is Disarmed
Speaking to the Associated Press, Israeli Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson Doron Spielman said Israeli intelligence assessments indicate that Hamas is still attempting to rebuild its military capabilities rather than genuinely committing to disarmament.
He explained that the Israeli military, which currently controls more than 60% of the Gaza Strip, will neither redeploy nor withdraw from the areas under its control until Hamas’s military capabilities have been completely dismantled.
Spielman added that Israeli security officials believe any withdrawal before disarmament is completed would allow Hamas to quickly re-establish its presence in Gaza, rebuild its military infrastructure, once again threaten Israeli territory, and potentially carry out attacks similar to the October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the Gaza war.
The Israeli official stressed that, from Israel’s perspective, disarmament means the complete and actual surrender of all weapons, emphasizing that any arrangement falling short of this would fail to meet Israel’s security requirements.
Israel’s position comes just days after Hamas announced that it had begun steps related to a disarmament process under the ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States nearly nine months ago, in an effort to create conditions for ending the war that has continued for almost three years, despite ongoing challenges and disputes regarding implementation mechanisms and timelines.
Multi-Phase U.S. Plan and Disagreements Over Implementation
The U.S. proposal announced by President Donald Trump includes a phased plan aimed at ending the fighting in Gaza. The plan calls for Hamas to surrender its weapons, dismantle its tunnel network, gradually withdraw Israeli forces, establish a new Palestinian technocratic administration, deploy an international security force to help govern the territory, and launch reconstruction efforts.
According to a copy of the agreement obtained by the Associated Press, the first phase requires Hamas police forces to transfer all their weapons to the Gaza National Administration Committee, a Palestinian technocratic body backed by the United States, immediately after it begins operating in the territory. However, implementation of this step remains linked to the completion of subsequent phases of the agreement.
The document also states that dismantling heavy weapons, eliminating military production facilities, and destroying tunnels will begin after the Palestinian committee and the international force are deployed, alongside a gradual redeployment of Israeli forces.
Israel currently controls large parts of the Gaza Strip, much of which has suffered extensive destruction, while the majority of Gaza’s approximately two million residents are concentrated in other areas containing camps and heavily damaged neighborhoods.
Sources familiar with the matter believe the chances of a broad Israeli withdrawal before the elections scheduled for October remain limited because of domestic political pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, both from opponents who hold him responsible for the failures of October 7 and from members of his right-wing coalition who demand continued military operations and a lasting Israeli military presence in Gaza.
In the same context, two people familiar with the agreement told the Associated Press that Israel also conveyed its reservations to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a member of the peace council chaired by Trump, noting that one of Israel’s main demands is to retain the freedom to conduct military operations inside Gaza whenever necessary.
Israel maintains that its position is based on intelligence indicating that Hamas continues recruiting fighters and working to restore its military capabilities despite ongoing political efforts.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces continue conducting airstrikes across the Gaza Strip. Health officials reported that strikes carried out Saturday evening and Sunday morning killed at least ten people, including children.
Nasser Hospital said it received the bodies of three members of the same family, including a four-year-old child, after an airstrike targeted a residential building in southern Gaza.
For its part, the Israeli military stated that the airstrikes targeted Hamas operatives but did not provide further details regarding the targets or the outcome of the operations.
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Author: Counselor Faisal Al-Mutairi
Publication Date: August 3, 2026
Last Updated: August 2026
