Netanyahu blasts 'US plan': We will not withdraw from Gaza

Gaza – Agencies: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected on Sunday the plan presented by the United States regarding Gaza, which had been accepted by Hamas, vowing not to carry out any withdrawal from the besieged enclave without a “genuine” disarmament of the Palestinian movement. Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said, “Israel rejects the 15-point document. The Israeli military will not execute any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed, and the ‘Israeli military’ will continue to thwart threats targeting our forces and citizens.”

Meanwhile, Netanyahu emphasized preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, a goal Tehran has long been accused of pursuing despite its denials. At a government meeting, he stated, “I want to reiterate that whether an agreement is reached or not, as long as I am Prime Minister, Iran will not possess nuclear weapons.”

Israeli Channel 12 reported on Saturday evening that the Israeli security establishment is considering withdrawing from some positions controlled by the occupying army in the Gaza Strip and handing them over to international forces, amid U.S. pressure to move to the next phase of the plan for the Strip. The channel quoted an Israeli security official as saying that the United States “is not leaving Israel with many options and is pushing it toward a problem in Gaza,” without providing further details on the sites that might be included in the withdrawal or the timeline for implementation.

For its part, the Israeli military radio reported that Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz had agreed to begin reconstruction work in eastern Rafah in the Gaza Strip. It noted that the decision by Netanyahu and Katz to restart reconstruction was made about two weeks ago, away from the public eye and without official announcement, coinciding with the decision to deploy a multinational force to Gaza. According to the military radio, the reconstruction work includes infrastructure projects in an area dubbed “Green Rafah,” aimed at establishing a residential project for Palestinians there, outside the control of Hamas and under the authority of the multinational force.

An Israeli military radio correspondent quoted security sources as saying that contractors and workers who will operate in the area are Palestinians from Gaza who are currently undergoing security vetting by Shin Bet to approve their entry into the “Yellow Zone.”

In a separate development, a Hamas official confirmed that the movement remains ready to implement the Gaza agreement, which stipulates its disarmament, calling on the U.S. administration to pressure Israel to comply with its obligations. The official, who requested anonymity, stated that “Hamas is calling on the U.S. administration to exert pressure on Israel to bind it to the agreement and implement it, and to move to the second phase.” He added that “Hamas and the factions have confirmed to mediators and the peace council their readiness and preparedness to begin implementing the agreement and moving to the second phase, conditional on the Israeli side’s approval of the agreement and Israel’s commencement of implementing the agreement and fulfilling the obligations of the first phase.”