Political source: Israel will not withdraw from the 'yellow line' before Hamas is disarmed

Against the backdrop of reports on progress in the contacts for an arrangement in the Gaza Strip, a political source clarified today (Thursday) that Israel is not changing its principled position: the full disarmament of Hamas and the full demilitarization of the Gaza Strip are a prerequisite for any political or security process. There will be no Israeli withdrawal from the 'yellow line' before their completion.

According to the source, the issue of Gaza did not come up at all in the meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump. He further emphasized that Israel demands the removal of all weaponry from the Strip and the complete dismantling of Hamas's military capabilities as a basic condition for any future outline.

This clarification follows reports of significant progress in the contacts for the next stage in the Strip. According to sources in Israel and Gaza, an outline is being examined that includes the handing over of weaponry and their storage under an agreed mechanism, alongside the exposure of tunnel locations and international supervision of the agreement's implementation. In Israel, officials assessed that "the direction looks positive," although they emphasized that final agreements have not yet been reached.

However, the political source notes that the "15 points" document, which is at the center of the discussions, does not provide a sufficient response to Israel's fundamental demands regarding the disarmament of Hamas. Jerusalem has already conveyed its reservations on the matter to international envoy Tony Blair, clarifying that it will not agree to an outline that does not guarantee the full demilitarization of the Strip.