The US-led Board of Peace said Israel will not withdraw its forces from Gaza beyond the Yellow Line until Hamas has completed the decommissioning of its weapons and tunnels. The statement followed a Monday meeting in West Jerusalem between the board’s director, Nickolay Mladenov, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The position adds a firm condition to the Gaza disarmament roadmap announced by US President Donald Trump last Thursday. It also exposes a central dispute over the agreement: Hamas says implementation depends on Israel carrying out its obligations, while Israeli political figures argue that the publicly released text does not match the version approved by their government.
Withdrawal linked to full weapons decommissioning
The Board of Peace said the Israeli military’s movement beyond the Yellow Line would occur only after Hamas completes decommissioning, as the group committed to mediators. The condition covers light and heavy weapons as well as tunnels, rather than applying only to visible arms.
The Yellow Line is the demarcation behind which Israeli forces continue to position themselves inside Gaza. The board said its stated objective is to remove weapons from the Strip and replace rule by armed force with civilian governance.
Trump established the Board of Peace in January to oversee Gaza’s administration after Israel’s war there. Its latest statement therefore places disarmament at the centre of the proposed transition, while leaving the timing of any Israeli withdrawal dependent on an outcome that has not yet been reached.
Israeli government faces internal opposition
Netanyahu’s office said before the meeting that the published version of the agreement did not represent Israel’s positions and that Israeli concerns had been communicated to Washington. The warning came as members of Netanyahu’s far-right coalition questioned the deal publicly.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described the agreement as substantially unlike the text approved by the Israeli government and called for an immediate new vote. The disagreement comes months before an Israeli election, when the government is under pressure from its political base to show that it has achieved total victory in Gaza.
The dispute follows repeated accusations that Israel has breached agreements and resisted concessions during negotiations. It also creates uncertainty over whether the publicly announced roadmap can move forward without changes acceptable to Netanyahu’s coalition and the US administration.
Ceasefire claims tested by continuing attacks
During his meeting with Netanyahu, Mladenov urged Israel to halt attacks on Gaza, according to two people familiar with the discussion who spoke to the Associated Press. Mladenov had criticised strikes over the weekend without naming Israel directly, writing that lasting peace was difficult but possible if all sides made their best efforts.
Israel has continued military operations despite an October 2025 ceasefire. According to the supplied account, Israeli attacks since that ceasefire have killed more than 1,200 Palestinians, including more than 36 after the disarmament deal was announced. More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel’s war began in October 2023.
Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye, which mediated the disarmament deal, jointly condemned Israel’s attacks on civilians and healthcare facilities as a violation of international law. Hamas said it and other Palestinian factions remained committed to completing the ceasefire’s second phase and were waiting for a clear official response from Mladenov and the mediators.
The immediate unresolved issue is whether Israel will stop the attacks and accept the published roadmap, while Hamas is expected to meet the board’s stated demand for comprehensive disarmament before any withdrawal beyond the Yellow Line.
Also read: Israeli Government Authorizes International Force to Operate in Gaza.
More context: Israel Escalates Military Operations in Gaza Despite US-Backed Ceasefire Roadmap.
Related coverage: Historic Hamas Disarmament Agreement in Gaza Faces Uncertainty.
Related coverage:
No comments yet. Start the discussion.