Israeli army will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas 'fully' disarmed, Netanyahu says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday the Israeli army will not withdraw from areas it occupies in the Gaza Strip until Palestinian group Hamas is "fully" disarmed.

"I remain committed to our security interests," Netanyahu claimed in a video posted on US social media company Facebook.

His video came amid disagreements over a roadmap floated by US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace for Hamas disarmament and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza under a ceasefire agreement.

"We will not withdraw from our current positions until Hamas is fully disarmed," he said.

The Israeli army currently occupies around 70% of the Gaza Strip, following a genocidal war that has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and injured over 174,000 since October 2023, according to Palestinian figures.

Israel has also continued to violate the truce that has been in effect since Oct. 10, 2025, killing 1,252 Palestinians and injuring 4,120 others.

Netanyahu claimed that US President Donald Trump and his team believe they can disarm Hamas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip.

"They sent us a draft that we did not approve, and we sent them our comments on it," he said.

Tel Aviv insists that disarmament must be completed before any withdrawal, while the roadmap announced by the Board of Peace and accepted by Hamas calls for the two steps to be implemented gradually and in parallel.

The roadmap envisages the transfer of administration in Gaza to a Palestinian technocratic committee, deploying an international stabilization force, placing weapons under the responsibility of the National Committee for Gaza Administration under international supervision, alongside a phased Israeli withdrawal and reconstruction efforts.

However, the board said Monday, following a meeting between its envoy Nikolay Mladenov and Netanyahu, that a full Israeli withdrawal would not take place before heavy and light weapons, as well as tunnels, are dismantled.

​​​​​​​For its part, Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to what had been agreed regarding the second phase of the ceasefire process.