Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government has not agreed to a US-backed draft under which Hamas would disarm and demilitarize Gaza, according to The National. “They sent us a draft. We did not agree to it,” he said.
Trump announced the Board of Peace roadmap on July 30, and Hamas approved it the next day, according to FDD’s Long War Journal. The rejection centers on sequencing: the roadmap ties a phased Israeli withdrawal to the gradual transfer of Hamas weaponry to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), under International Stabilization Force (ISF) oversight and International Verification Committee (IVC) certification — deliberately termed “decommissioning” rather than “surrender,” according to Board of Peace officials cited by the Times of Israel. Israel has instead demanded front-loaded disarmament before any drawdown.
Hamas has said its own compliance is contingent on a full Israeli troop withdrawal to the October ceasefire’s “Yellow Line” and expanded humanitarian access, according to Chatham House. The dispute also carries domestic weight for Netanyahu: his governing coalition includes ultranationalist factions that oppose any withdrawal and back Israeli settlement construction inside Gaza, The National reported.
The Israeli military was separately reported to have tightened its strike policy this week, requiring chief-of-staff approval for targeted strikes rather than division-commander sign-off.
