Israel Raises Security Objections to Hamas Disarmament Plan
TEL AVIV- Israel has conveyed “serious security concerns” to the White House over a proposed U.S.-brokered agreement for Hamas to disarm, an Israeli official said on Sunday, signaling potential obstacles to implementing a ceasefire framework announced earlier this week by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, told the Associated Press that Israeli intelligence believes Hamas remains focused on rebuilding its military capabilities rather than genuinely relinquishing its weapons. He said Israeli forces would not withdraw from Gaza while Hamas retained its military arsenal.
“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,” Spielman said.
He said Israel considers disarmament to mean the physical surrender of weapons, adding that anything short of that would be insufficient.
The comments came days after Hamas announced it would begin disarming under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement originally signed nine months ago. The proposed arrangement is intended to advance efforts to end the conflict, although key conditions and implementation timelines remain unresolved.
According to a copy of the agreement obtained and verified by the Associated Press, weapons held by the Hamas-run police would be transferred to the U.S.-backed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza after the committee’s deployment in the enclave.
The agreement also outlines a phased process to decommission and store heavy weapons, dismantle military production facilities and tunnel networks, and link those measures to a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza alongside the deployment of an international security force.
Trump has said the plan would be implemented in carefully structured phases and includes provisions for Israeli troop withdrawals, the establishment of a technocratic Palestinian administration and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Spielman said Israel appreciated Trump’s commitment to Israeli security but maintained that intelligence assessments indicated Hamas was continuing to recruit fighters, rebuild infrastructure and restore military capabilities.
Two people familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press that Israel had communicated its concerns through former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is involved with Trump’s Board of Peace initiative. One of the sources said Israel was seeking guarantees that it would retain freedom to conduct military operations in Gaza. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly.
Military operations continued despite the ceasefire framework. Palestinian health officials said Israeli strikes overnight into Sunday killed at least 10 people, including children.
A strike on a residential apartment in southern Gaza killed three members of the same family, including a four-year-old child, according to Nasser Hospital.
The Israeli military said its overnight operations targeted Hamas military operatives but did not provide further details.
