Israel Objects to Gaza Deal Hamas Accepted
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- Israel conveyed concerns to the United States about a Gaza plan that Hamas agreed to, with Netanyahu's office saying the public version "does not reflect Israel's positions."
- Hamas announced on Friday it agreed to the next stage of a deal including handing over weapons to a nascent Palestinian governing committee, a move Trump called a "major milestone" and said Israel was "very happy" about.
- Israeli intelligence found Hamas has been rearming and recruiting forces since the October ceasefire Trump announced, though the ceasefire has reduced violence levels.
- Netanyahu's spokesman Doron Spielman said Hamas was preparing for "further Oct 7-style massacres" and demanded "genuine, verifiable and irreversible demilitarisation" as the indispensable first step.
- An anonymous Israeli official said Israel, which still controls most of Gaza, would not withdraw forces under the plan without verifying Hamas's disarmament.
- Israel kept up strikes after the Hamas announcement, with Palestinian authorities reporting at least 13 people killed by Israeli attacks on Sunday.
Why it matters: Israel is publicly undermining a framework it hasn't formally vetoed, demanding verifiable disarmament before any withdrawal while continuing strikes that killed at least 13 Palestinians — leaving the Trump-hailed "milestone" stalled before implementation and risking the collapse of the fragile October ceasefire.
