Haaretz: Israel notifies the 'Peace Council' of its objections to three clauses in the Gaza agreement
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Sunday that Israel had informed the “Peace Council” of its objections to three provisions in the agreement reached with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. On Friday, the Council and US President Donald Trump announced that Hamas had agreed to a deal to implement the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which includes an Israeli withdrawal and the handing over of the movement’s weapons. Later that same day, Hamas announced that Israel’s cessation of killing Palestinians and ending its attacks constitute the fundamental prerequisite for proceeding with the implementation of the second phase of the agreement, and for establishing a framework and timeline for the understandings.
Citing two unnamed sources familiar with the matter, the newspaper noted that Tel Aviv informed the “Peace Council” (chaired by Trump) on Thursday of its objections to three provisions it deems “unacceptable.” One source stated that the three provisions rejected by Israel are: “the non-destruction of weapons to be collected from Hamas, and the participation of Qatar and Turkey in verifying the stages of the roadmap.” The third provision, according to the source, is the “absence of freedom of operation for the Israeli military in areas whose responsibility will be transferred to the International Stabilization Force.”
According to another political source who spoke to the newspaper, Israel conveyed its objections to a member of the “Peace Council,” former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The sources clarified that the “roadmap” approved by Hamas stipulates collecting weapons in one location while keeping them under Palestinian control, represented by the technocratic committee, referring to the National Administration for the Management of Gaza. The sources said Israel believes that the plan’s outlines do not clarify the ultimate fate of the weapons to be collected.
The two sources added that Israel also expressed its refusal to allow two mediators, Qatar and Turkey, to participate in the mechanism for verifying the implementation of the “roadmap” steps. The newspaper reported that this mechanism is expected to include representatives of the intermediary parties, the “Peace Council,” and the “International Stabilization Force.” It added that, according to the general framework published by the “Peace Council,” this mechanism is supposed to define the transition phases between steps and ensure that neither party is required to take action unless the other has fulfilled its commitments.
The two sources also reported that Israel “expressed its non-approval of a ban on the Israeli military launching attacks in areas whose administrative responsibility will be transferred to the International Stabilization Force and the Palestinian Police.”
With US support, Israel began a genocidal war in Gaza on October 8, 2023, resulting in more than 73,000 killed and over 174,000 injured Palestinians, mostly children and women, and destruction affecting 90 percent of the infrastructure. Despite the ceasefire agreement in effect since October 10, 2025, Israel continues its genocide through daily bombings that have killed 1,222 Palestinians and injured 4,053, mostly children and women, along with widespread destruction. It also prevents the entry of agreed-upon quantities of food, medicines, medical supplies, shelter materials, and prefabricated houses into Gaza, where approximately 2.4 million Palestinians, including 1.5 million displaced persons, live in catastrophic conditions.
According to the newspaper, members of the “Peace Council” are still unaware of the date when the agreement regarding the next phase will enter into force. It added that, upon the agreement’s entry into force, a 14-day period is expected to begin, during which timelines for implementing the agreement will be determined by Israel and Hamas.
Palestinians say Israel has turned the ceasefire agreement into an “illusion,” exacerbating the humanitarian crisis by continuing its aggression on Gaza, coinciding with the closure of crossings except for the entry of limited amounts of humanitarian aid. While Hamas has fulfilled its commitments in the first phase of the agreement by releasing Israeli prisoners, Israel has reneged on its commitments through continuous shelling and restricting humanitarian aid.
Among the provisions of the second phase are a broader withdrawal of the Israeli military from Gaza and the beginning of reconstruction, in exchange for the start of disarming the factions. These provisions have not yet been implemented, while Israel insists on disarmament first.
In 1948, Israel was established on lands occupied by armed Zionist gangs that committed massacres and displaced at least 750,000 Palestinians. Israel subsequently occupied the rest of the Palestinian territories, refuses to withdraw from them, and rejects the establishment of an independent Palestinian state as stipulated in UN resolutions.
