Netanyahu Comments on Trump's Initiative to Disarm Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli troops will not leave their positions in the Gaza Strip until Hamas is completely disarmed. He also reported that the Trump administration proposed an initiative to disarm Hamas and demilitarize Gaza, which Israel is studying, but the initial draft did not satisfy Jerusalem. Israel sent its comments to Washington.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli forces will maintain their current positions in the Gaza Strip until Hamas is completely stripped of its weapons. According to him, the question of troop withdrawal is directly linked to achieving this goal. The head of government also said that the administration of US President Donald Trump proposed an initiative that envisages the complete disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu noted that the Israeli side is studying this plan, but the initial draft of the document did not satisfy Jerusalem. The draft presented by the Americans was not coordinated with Israel, so the authorities prepared their own comments and sent them to Washington. The response was sent before information about the negotiations appeared in the media. "Trump and his team believe that Hamas can be completely disarmed and Gaza demilitarized — we are studying this issue," Netanyahu said. Earlier, Kurson reported that former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett accused Netanyahu of refusing to eliminate Hamas.