Israel rejects Gaza withdrawal before Hamas disarms
Trump Board of Peace publishes roadmap without party buy-in, front lines keep moving while diplomats debate sequencing
Images
Donald Trump announced a milestone in progress towards a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza last week, but Netanyahu is yet to act upon it (Reuters)
Reuters
People attend a mass funeral for members of the Abu Sharia and Al-Hasayna families, whose remains were recently recovered from the rubble of their homes after an attack earlier in the war, on August 4 (Getty)
Getty
A Palestinian child walks a dog beside tents in a displacement camp in Gaza City on 1 August (AFP/Getty)
AFP/Getty
Israel holds position on Gaza plan despite Trump claims
Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” has published a 15-point roadmap that it says would lead to Hamas giving up weapons and Israel withdrawing from Gaza in phases, but the central parties are still describing incompatible preconditions. According to The Independent, Israeli officials have publicly insisted that Israeli forces will not move until Hamas disarms and its tunnel network is destroyed, while Hamas has said Israel must halt attacks before it relinquishes weapons.
The document’s release shifts attention from a headline diplomatic announcement to the mechanics of enforcement. The roadmap, as described by The Independent, places “decommissioning” of weapons and tunnels ahead of a full Israeli withdrawal, and envisions US-backed Palestinian administration control over stored arms rather than immediate removal from Gaza. That sequencing is precisely what Israel’s National Security Council is reported to be warning about: weapons that move “from Palestinian hands into Palestinian hands” may satisfy a process requirement without changing the balance of force on the ground. A spokesperson for Netanyahu’s office told Reuters that Israel has relayed concerns to Washington, while Netanyahu’s spokesman Doron Spielman framed Israel’s condition as total and verifiable disarmament before anything else proceeds.
Meanwhile, the map is being redrawn by facts rather than communiqués. The Independent reports that Israel has expanded beyond the lines set out in last year’s ceasefire framework, with Israel’s defence minister saying Israeli-held territory has reached 60% to 70% as troops search for tunnels. Reuters accounts cited in the piece describe repeated displacement as the “yellow line” moves, with residents pushed from multiple areas and most of Gaza’s population confined to a narrow coastal strip in tents or damaged buildings. The same report says Netanyahu conveyed to the Board’s envoy that the military would not pull back from its current lines, even as the Board described meetings as constructive.
Trump can publish a roadmap; the parties still appear to be negotiating over the order of operations while continuing to fight.
Over the weekend, The Independent reports, Israeli airstrikes continued and then stopped on Monday, leaving the plan’s promised phases competing with the war’s daily rhythm.