{"id":1154184,"date":"2026-08-17T19:01:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T19:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1154184\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T19:01:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T19:01:26","slug":"meeting-with-kushner-pm-doubles-down-on-idf-remaining-in-gaza-until-hamas-disarmed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1154184\/","title":{"rendered":"Meeting with Kushner, PM doubles down on IDF remaining in Gaza until Hamas disarmed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted during a meeting Monday with envoys from the White House and the US-backed Board of Peace that Israel would not redeploy any of its forces in Gaza or allow reconstruction to begin until the Strip was completely disarmed, a senior Israeli official told The Times of Israel.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe agreement was that there would be no redeployment or reconstruction until Hamas is disarmed throughout Gaza,\u201d the official said of the premier\u2019s four-hour meeting with Trump-aide Jared Kushner and Board of Peace officials Nickolay Mladenov and Tony Blair.<\/p>\n

According to a CNN report, citing an Israeli source familiar with the discussions, Kushner pressed Netanyahu during the lengthy meeting to \u201cnot create obstacles\u201d to the implementation of the Board\u2019s 15-point plan for disarming Hamas and moving toward the second and reconstruction-focused phase of Trump\u2019s Gaza peace plan.<\/p>\n

Hamas has said it accepted the framework, which envisions the group gradually handing over its weapons, as Israel conducts corresponding withdrawals from Gaza, but Netanyahu has rejected the proposal, insisting that the terror group fully disarm before any Israeli withdrawals from the Strip.<\/p>\n

According to the report, Netanyahu told Kushner and Mladenov that progress on the 15-point framework was politically \u201cproblematic\u201d ahead of Israel\u2019s late-October elections, insisting instead that Hamas take steps first.<\/p>\n

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Pressed on whether Netanyahu said the IDF would not withdraw at all \u2014 including back to the originally agreed-upon Yellow Line, which it has since moved several hundred meters beyond at Netanyahu\u2019s instruction \u2014 the senior Israeli official indicated that no withdrawal whatsoever would be approved before the full disarmament of both light and heavy weapons.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tPalestinians in Khan Younis, the southern Gaza Strip, August 12, 2026. (Abed Rahim Khatib\/FLASH90)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe prime minister was very clear that the IDF won\u2019t redeploy and will continue to actively thwart any effort against our forces and against our people,\u201d the official said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first step towards the demilitarization of the Strip would be for Hamas to hand over all of its weapons for decommissioning,\u201d the official said, adding that this would be under US supervision. \u201cIt was also agreed to that we\u2019d support any efforts to help with sanitation and any other health and environmental concerns,\u201d the official added.<\/p>\n

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also partook in the meeting, the official said, though they did not say who participated on the Israeli side besides Netanyahu.<\/p>\n

In its statement, the Prime Minister\u2019s Office called the meeting \u201cdeep and constructive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Netanyahu\u2019s office said the officials agreed to establish two \u201cworking groups, one on disarmament and demilitarization of Gaza, which both Israel and the Board of Peace are determined should be prompt and completed before any reconstruction happens in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA second working group will focus on sanitation, clean water and other public health issues for the people of Gaza and which also impact the people of Israel,\u201d the statement concluded.<\/p>\n

The senior Israeli official could not provide further details on the composition or precise role of the groups, or the timeline for their establishment.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA displaced Palestinian man carries empty containers while heading to refill fresh water in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, August 14, 2026. (AP\/Abdel Kareem Hana)<\/p>\n

In a separate statement, a Board of Peace official described the meeting as \u201clengthy, in depth, and very productive,\u201d saying: \u201cWe agreed with the PM on a path forward. The Israelis are going to give this a chance. Now it\u2019s up to Hamas to show if it truly intends to comply.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kushner, Mladenov, and Blair also met with President Isaac Herzog, following their sit-down with Netanyahu.<\/p>\n

In a brief readout, Herzog praised the officials\u2019 efforts in \u201cadvancing to the next stages in Gaza in accordance with President Trump\u2019s 20-Point Plan,\u201d adding that he \u201cwas impressed that Israel\u2019s security interests are an important and central element of their plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI commended and encouraged their efforts to ensure a brighter and more secure future for the people of Israel, the people of Gaza, and the entire region,\u201d Herzog said.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tBoard of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov and White House aide Jared Kushner (second and third from left, respectively) meet with President Isaac Herzog (fourth from left), alongside other aides, in Jerusalem, on August 17, 2026. (Shalev Shalom)<\/p>\n

The visit to Israel followed Kushner\u2019s talks with Hamas officials<\/a> Sunday in Cairo, as the Board works to advance the disarmament plan.<\/p>\n

At the talks, Hamas said it would only begin disarming, as required by the US-backed Board of Peace\u2019s Gaza plan, if Netanyahu publicly commits to adhering to the terms of the plan, an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel.<\/p>\n

Hamas said later that it had asked the Board of Peace to \u201ccompel\u201d Israel to accept the plan.<\/p>\n

The Board of Peace is hoping that coaxing Netanyahu to quietly restore a halt on IDF strikes in Gaza will be sufficient to allow Hamas to begin handing over its weapons.<\/p>\n

But the Arab diplomat said the terror group \u2013 which remains the de facto government of a large swath of the Strip \u2013 is unlikely to do so without a public announcement from Netanyahu expressing support for the plan.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tEgypt\u2019s General Intelligence Service head, Hassan Rashad (right), hosts Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya in Cairo, August 16, 2026. (Via X, used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)<\/p>\n

In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Trump was asked about his aides\u2019 diplomatic tour. He indicated progress on Hamas disarming under his plan, and said that Israel should not be striking Gaza right now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have our own relationship with Hamas. They are giving up their guns,\u201d the US president said.<\/p>\n

Several regional powers, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, issued a statement Sunday condemning Israel\u2019s rejection of the roadmap, saying, \u201cIsrael now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza.\u201d Other signers included Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, and the ceasefire mediators.<\/p>\n

The foreign ministers\u2019 statement called on the Board of Peace and the US to take \u201cimmediate and concrete measures\u201d to keep any party from obstructing the plan\u2019s implementation. Israel had no immediate response.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tPalestinians perform Friday prayers at the destroyed Al-Huda Mosque in the center of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, August 14, 2026. (Abed Rahim Khatib\/FLASH90)<\/p>\n

The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages.<\/p>\n

The subsequent Israeli offensive \u2013 whose stated goals were the return of the captives, the toppling of Hamas, and the elimination of any future threat to Israel from the Strip \u2013 mostly ended in October 2025, with a US-brokered ceasefire deal that secured the release of the last of the hostages, living and dead.<\/p>\n

The deal divided Gaza into two parts, one controlled by the Israel Defense Forces and the other still controlled by Hamas. Since then, clashes have continued, with five Israeli soldiers killed and the IDF regularly targeting Hamas commanders in deadly airstrikes that have killed more than a thousand people total since the truce went into effect, according to Hamas figures that don\u2019t distinguish between combatants and civilians.<\/p>\n

Though Israel has agreed to eventually withdraw from the Strip, and Hamas has agreed to eventually hand over its weapons, each asserts that these steps are conditional on progress on the other side\u2019s commitment, resulting in the current stalemate.<\/p>\n

Jacob Magid and agencies contributed to this report.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted during a meeting Monday with envoys from the White House and the US-backed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1154185,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5],"tags":[6505,212884,10982,835,129858,12,282866,27005,26],"class_list":["post-1154184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world","tag-benjamin-netanyahu","tag-board-of-peace","tag-gaza-strip","tag-hamas","tag-jared-kushner","tag-news","tag-nickolay-mladenov","tag-tony-blair","tag-world"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/117112401142355743","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1154184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1154185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1154184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1154184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1154184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}