Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conveyed to the Peace Council, formed under US President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza, that he rejects a ceasefire and withdrawal from Gaza. Israel's Yisrael Hayom newspaper reported that Netanyahu delivered this message during a meeting with Peace Council head Nikolay Mladenov on Monday.
The report noted that Netanyahu told Mladenov that Israel would not withdraw from points controlled by the army in the Gaza Strip and would not declare a ceasefire. Netanyahu claimed that Hamas has rebuilt its military capacity and poses a direct threat to the Israeli army and the settlements around Gaza.
The Peace Council had released a document on Friday titled 'Roadmap to Complete the Implementation of US President Donald Trump's Comprehensive Gaza Peace Plan'. The Israeli National Security Council had previously stated that Netanyahu conveyed all his reservations about the agreement's clauses to the Peace Council and US President Trump's team, especially his adviser Jared Kushner.
Israeli state television KAN announced on Monday evening that the army has set three red lines regarding the 15-point agreement. Senior army officials are expected to present these demands at a meeting with Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir on Wednesday.
The army's first demand is 'full freedom of movement to eliminate threats originating from the Gaza Strip.' This means continuing to fight 'terror elements' described as a 'ticking time bomb'.
Additionally, the army demands inspection of weapons in Gaza. While the agreement planned to grant inspection to the technocrat government set to govern Gaza instead of Hamas, the army opposes this clause and calls for external inspection.
The army's most critical demand is opposition to any partial or phased withdrawal until Hamas is completely disarmed, a stance that contradicts the agreement text, which envisions a phased withdrawal.
Earlier on Monday, the Peace Council announced that the full withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza would only take place after the completion of the weapons destruction process as Hamas had committed to mediators. This announcement came after Mladenov's meeting with Netanyahu and his team.
Israeli Channel 13 claimed that 'shock' prevailed in the Prime Minister's Office after the details of the agreement emerged. Channel 12 reported that 'under the shadow of tensions with the US, the Israeli army has not conducted any airstrikes on the Gaza Strip for 26 hours'.
Unnamed Israeli officials told the same channel that 'a confrontation with the US administration is still possible, they will not fall into Hamas's trap, and they will not retreat an inch from the red line as long as the movement is not disarmed, and the attacks will continue.'
Channel 12 also reported earlier on Monday that Peace Council High Representative Mladenov and US official Aryeh Lichtstone asked Netanyahu to stop the attacks on Gaza, calling on him to comply with Trump's plan to end the war.
