'Utopian Dream': IDF Skeptical of Hamas's Commitment to the Deal

Peace Council CEO Nikolai Mladenov announced an agreement on Hamas's disarmament and a civilian transition in Gaza, encouraged by the US and other nations. The IDF is skeptical: a security source calls it a 'utopian dream' and claims Hamas is stalling and reorganizing. Meanwhile, the IDF continues to search for and destroy terrorist infrastructure in the Strip.

Peace Council CEO Nikolai Mladenov announced on Friday that an agreement has been reached on Hamas's disarmament and a civilian transition in Gaza, encouraged by the US, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, the UAE, and the UN. He called on Israel to begin a 'step-by-step' withdrawal from the Palestinian territory as a condition for progress. In response, an Israeli political source clarified that there will be no IDF withdrawal from the yellow line without a genuine disarmament of Hamas. A security source told Walla that the agreement attributed to Hamas is 'utopian dreams', and that Hamas is exploiting the declarations to 'stall for time' and reorganize. According to him, Hamas continues to establish control, gather intelligence, intimidate, collect taxes, and prepare for a campaign against Israel. Meanwhile, the commander of the Southern Command, Major General Yaniv Asor, continues to advance searches and destruction of terrorist infrastructure, including tunnels. Additionally, it was reported on an American-led organization of a multinational peace force that will operate in Rafah.