No Israeli withdrawal from Gaza before disarmament and tunnel destruction, peace council official says

A Peace Council official told Al Arabiya on Monday that an agreement has been reached with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the next phase in Gaza, which includes forming two working groups and focusing on disarming Hamas and meeting residents’ basic needs.

The official said one group will handle the disarmament of Gaza, while the second will address essential needs of the population. He explained that both the Peace Council and Israel share the goal of fully disarming Hamas and removing weapons from the Strip to prevent their future use.

He added that the agreement with Netanyahu stipulates there will be no Israeli withdrawal from Gaza before disarmament, and also includes an agreement not to withdraw before the tunnels in the Strip are destroyed.

The official clarified that Israel will give the Gaza plan a chance, stressing that Hamas must show whether it will comply with the disarmament process.

He added that Israel "has the right to self-defense" if Hamas attempts to rearm.

Separately, Netanyahu’s office announced Monday that an agreement has been reached with the Peace Council on disarming Hamas before any reconstruction process begins in Gaza.

The office said the agreement includes forming a dedicated working group on disarming Hamas, noting that Netanyahu held what were described as "in-depth and constructive" discussions with the Peace Council on arrangements for the next phase in the Strip.

According to Netanyahu’s office, the second working group will focus on sanitation, clean water, and other public health issues affecting Gaza’s residents, which also impact the Israeli population.