Israel conveys 'concerns' to US on Gaza plan, keeps up strikes
Israel said on Monday that it had expressed concern to the United States about a plan to end the Gaza war hailed by President Donald Trump, as it kept up strikes on the Palestinian territory.
A political source said that Israel would not retreat from its current position in Gaza, despite the plan hinging on Hamas handing over its weapons and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces.
It was the latest sign of disconnect between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces a tough re-election fight in October and has heavily promoted his relationship with the US leader, whom he met again in Washington last week.
Netanyahu's office demanded concrete disarmament by Hamas, which on Friday announced it would give up weapons under the Trump plan to a nascent Palestinian governing committee.
"Israel has conveyed its comments and concerns on the proposed framework to our American counterparts. The version that has been made public does not reflect Israel's positions," Doron Spielman, spokesman for the prime minister's office, told AFP.
He said that Israeli intelligence had found that Hamas had been rearming and recruiting forces since a ceasefire announced by Trump in October.
The political source told AFP that "Israel will not retreat from its current position in the Gaza Strip and will continue to thwart any threat to our civilians and soldiers", reiterating a stance previously given on Friday that there would be "no withdrawal whatsoever... unless Hamas undergoes a genuine disarmament".
The ceasefire has reduced the level of violence, but Israel has kept up strikes and still controls more than 60 percent of the Gaza Strip. Since the truce went into force, more than 1,200 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza authorities.
The Israeli military says it has lost five soldiers in Gaza over the same period, as well as one civilian contractor.
- 'Irreversible demilitarisation' -
Trump called the disarmament announcement a "major milestone" in ending the devastating war, which began when Hamas carried out the deadliest attack ever against Israel on October 7, 2023.
He told reporters on Friday that Israel was "very happy" with the development, but Netanyahu has not spoken about it publicly.
Netanyahu's spokesman said that Hamas's actions since the ceasefire have shown that it was preparing for "further October 7-style massacres", and noted that the plan released by Trump's "Board of Peace" called for Gaza to be "a deradicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours".
"That vision stands in direct contrast to the current reality and to Hamas's stated intentions. The indispensable first step toward any lasting arrangement is the genuine, verifiable and irreversible demilitarisation of Hamas," he said.
"Anything short of full demilitarisation will leave Hamas with the capability to threaten Israel again."
A roadmap released by the Board of Peace and dated Thursday called for Israel to complete commitments to cease military operations in Gaza "without delay".
While calling for verification of compliance, the roadmap also lays out a "phased withdrawal" from Gaza by Israel, which has insisted on its presence until Hamas's disarmament.
- No let-up in Gaza -
A security official in Gaza said that since early Sunday, Israeli strikes had killed 19 Palestinians, including women and children.
Palestinian authorities also said that an Israeli strike Saturday destroyed a large amount of medical supplies.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of using civilian infrastructure to conceal weapons and fighters, and said it had destroyed arms depots across Gaza.
The Israeli military identified two people it said it killed on Saturday, charging that they were planning attacks on Israeli civilians and troops.
Mohammad Dahlan, a senior Palestinian political figure who has played a key role in the Gaza plan, said after the Board of Peace roadmap that he had spoken to Trump's son-in-law and aide Jared Kushner who told him that Israel would end strikes in Gaza effective Sunday.
But he quickly revised his social media post, instead saying that Kushner was "working with the Israeli side to halt the attacks" in Gaza.
He later accused Netanyahu of working "to obstruct the most promising opportunity to begin ending this war".
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial role, offered a more upbeat take on Trump's Gaza efforts, saying the latest development marked "a very positive step with the clear caveat and undertaking that Hamas must be disarmed".
W.Ramos--GM
