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‘No troops’ withdrawal till Hamas is disarmed': Israel rejects Trump's Gaza plan
Prime Minister Netanyahu stated Israel won't withdraw from Gaza unless Hamas disarms, rejecting a US proposal linking peace with military withdrawal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will not withdraw its forces from Gaza until Hamas is completely disarmed.
His remarks came hours after US President Donald Trump announced the plan on Tuesday, with Israel insisting that any military withdrawal from Gaza would depend entirely on Hamas first giving up its weapons, news agency Associated Press (AP) reported.
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Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes last week till Sunday evening left at least 17 people, including children, killed.
Israel says withdrawal depends on Hamas giving up weapons
Doron Spielman, spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, said Israel's intelligence assessment suggests Hamas is focused on rebuilding its military capabilities rather than genuinely disarming.
"Our assessment is that if we redeploy before Hamas is truly disarmed, it will quickly expand its presence throughout Gaza, rebuild its terrorist infrastructure, once again threaten Israeli communities, and seek to carry out another Oct. 7-style attack," he said.
"Disarming means physically giving up the weapons. Nothing less," he added.
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He said that while Israel appreciated Trump's commitment to its security and efforts towards a lasting resolution, its position was based on intelligence indicating Hamas continues to recruit fighters, rearm and rebuild its military infrastructure.
Ceasefire deal outlines phased disarmament
Netanyanhu's remarks came days after Hamas said it would begin disarming under the US-brokered ceasefire signed nine months ago.
Trump's 20-point ceasefire proposal envisages Hamas surrendering its weapons, dismantling its tunnel network, Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza, the establishment of a new Palestinian technocratic government, deployment of an international security force and reconstruction of the war-ravaged enclave.
According to a copy of the agreement obtained and verified by The Associated Press, weapons held by the Hamas-run police are to be transferred to the US-backed Palestinian technocratic body, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, once it begins functioning inside the territory.
Israel controls more than 60% of Gaza, though much of those areas have been destroyed and depopulated. Most of Gaza's nearly two million residents are living in the remaining parts of the territory, many in damaged neighbourhoods and tent camps.
Mass funeral in Palestine
Palestinians on Tuesday held a mass funeral for more than 100 victims whose remains were recently recovered from one of the deadliest Israeli strikes in Gaza since the war began.
The victims were among those killed on November 22, 2023, when Israeli airstrikes destroyed a residential block in Gaza City's Sabra neighbourhood.
Soon after the strike, around 40 bodies were pulled from the rubble as rescuers searched through the destruction using limited equipment and their bare hands. However, many victims remained buried beneath the collapsed buildings, with the full scale of the casualties emerging only days later amid the chaos before the first ceasefire.
Last week, rescue teams recovered the remains of 112 more victims, including 40 children, according to Gaza's Civil Defense, which operates under the Hamas-run Interior Ministry. The agency said 157 bodies are still believed to be trapped under the rubble.
The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killed around 1,200 people and resulted in 251 people being taken hostage
(With inputs from AP)
