The Japan Times - Israel conveys 'concerns' to US on Gaza plan, keeps up strikes on territory

It marks the latest sign of disconnect between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces a tough reelection fight in October and has heavily promoted his relationship with the US leader, whom he met again last week.

Netanyahu's office demanded more concrete disarmament by Hamas, which on Friday announced it would give up weapons under the Trump plan to a nascent Palestinian governing committee.

"Israel has conveyed its comments and concerns on the proposed framework to our American counterparts. The version that has been made public does not reflect Israel's positions," Doron Spielman, spokesman for the prime minister's office, told AFP.

He said that Israeli intelligence had found that Hamas had been rearming and recruiting forces since a ceasefire announced by Trump in October.

The ceasefire has reduced the level of violence, but Israel still controls more than 60 percent of the Gaza Strip and since the truce more than 1,200 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza authorities.

The Israeli military says it has lost five soldiers in Gaza over the same period, as well as one civilian contractor.

Trump called the disarmament move a "major milestone" in ending the devastating war that began when Hamas carried out the deadliest attack ever against Israel on October 7, 2023.

Trump told reporters Friday that Israel was "very happy" with the development, but Netanyahu has not spoken about it publicly.

Netanyahu's spokesman said that Hamas's actions since the ceasefire have shown that it was preparing for "further October 7-style massacres" and noted that the plan released by Trump's "Board of Peace" called for Gaza to be "a deradicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours".

"That vision stands in direct contrast to the current reality and to Hamas's stated intentions. The indispensable first step toward any lasting arrangement is the genuine, verifiable and irreversible demilitarisation of Hamas," he said.

"Anything short of full demilitarisation will leave Hamas with the capability to threaten Israel again."

A roadmap released by the Board of Peace and dated Thursday called for Israel to complete "fully" and "without delay" commitments to cease military operations in Gaza.

While calling for verification of commitments, the roadmap also called for a "phased withdrawal" from Gaza by Israel, which has insisted on its presence until Hamas disarmament.

- No let-up in Gaza -

A security official in Gaza said that since early Sunday, Israeli strikes have killed 19 Palestinians, including women and children.

Palestinian authorities also said that an Israeli strike Saturday destroyed a large number of medical supplies.

Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of using civilian infrastructure to conceal weapons and fighters and said it had destroyed arms depots across Gaza.

The Israeli military also identified two people it said it killed on Saturday, charging that they were planning attacks on Israeli civilians and troops.

Mohammad Dahlan, a senior Palestinian political figure who has played a key role in the Gaza plan, said after the Board of Peace roadmap that he had spoken to Trump's son-in-law and aide Jared Kushner who told him that Israel would end strikes in Gaza effective Sunday.

Dahlan quickly revised his social media post, instead saying that Kushner was "working with the Israeli side to halt the attacks" in Gaza.

He later accused Netanyahu of working "to obstruct the most promising opportunity to begin ending this war".

Gaza is not the only point of divergence between Trump and Netanyahu. Israel has also been sceptical of Trump's pursuit of diplomacy to end the war on Iran launched by the two countries in late February.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial role, offered a more upbeat take on Trump's Gaza efforts, saying they "bring a certain vision of hope".

The latest development mark "a very positive step with the clear caveat and undertaking that Hamas must be disarmed", he said as he received foreign ambassadors.

T.Maeda--JT