"The Peace Council" is literally committed to Netanyahu's demands
Gaza – Agencies: The Peace Council, chaired by Donald Trump and tasked with implementing the US plan to end the war in Gaza, assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza would not begin until Hamas’s weapons were completely removed. Following this, Hamas sought clarifications from Nikolai Mladenov, the Council’s High Representative for Gaza affairs. This comes after Netanyahu expressed his objection to the plan, which Trump had praised, and called on two ministers in his far-right government to reject it, arguing that it stipulates Israel’s gradual withdrawal from the Strip. Netanyahu’s office announced that it had conveyed its concerns about the plan to the United States, after Trump on Friday hailed it as a “milestone,” noting that Hamas’s agreement to hand over its weapons to an emerging Palestinian committee to oversee governance was a pivotal step.
For their part, the mediating countries in the negotiations to end the war in Gaza condemned the “continuous Israeli violations” in the Gaza Strip. Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey considered the stance a “blatant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.” The mediators stressed the “necessity of Israel’s compliance with all its obligations under international law, and full fulfillment of its commitments stipulated in the ceasefire agreement,” emphasizing that “the continuation of these violations constitutes a breach of the agreement.” They viewed this as “undermining the efforts to implement the second phase, especially following Hamas’s and Palestinian factions’ announcement of their approval of the roadmap, particularly regarding the restriction of weapons,” and warned that it “threatens the de-escalation process and increases the suffering of civilians in the Gaza Strip.”
Following the meeting, the Peace Council announced that Israel would not begin its withdrawal beyond the “Yellow Line” in the Gaza Strip until Hamas’s disarmament is “fully completed.” The Council wrote on the X platform that the Israeli military’s withdrawal “beyond the Yellow Line will only occur after the disarmament process is complete, as Hamas committed to the mediators,” referring to the dividing line between the area under Hamas control and that controlled by the Israeli army. It added that “Israel and the Peace Council share a common understanding of the final objectives.”
For its part, Hamas published a statement on Telegram stating that “the movement and Palestinian factions remain committed to what was agreed upon regarding the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement,” and that it is “awaiting a clear and official response from Mr. Nikolai Mladenov and the brotherly mediators regarding what was agreed upon.”
The latest document issued by the Trump-backed Peace Council, tasked with implementing the Gaza plan, sparked anger among Netanyahu’s allies from the far-right, on whom his ruling coalition depends. The plan called on Israel to halt its military operations “without delay” and to carry out a “gradual withdrawal” from the Strip. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, along with a colleague, considered the wording used to be “completely different” from what Israel believed had been agreed upon, calling for an immediate meeting of the Cabinet’s Security Cabinet to hold a new vote on the plan.
