IDF will remain in Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed, Board of Peace official tells i24NEWS

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Board of Peace have agreed that there will be no redeployment of Israeli forces from Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed and the territory is completely demilitarized, a Board of Peace official told i24NEWS.

The understanding was reached during more than three hours of talks Monday between Netanyahu, US President Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner and senior Israeli, American and Board of Peace officials, as the parties moved toward implementing the next stage of Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan.

According to the Board of Peace official, Hamas has committed to “fully disarm” and immediately halt all military activity in Gaza, including rearmament and the construction of tunnels.

The agreement stipulates that all weapons, light and heavy, must be collected and permanently decommissioned, while Gaza’s tunnel network must also be dismantled.

Israel, meanwhile, will retain what the Board of Peace described as its “full right of self-defense.” If Hamas resumes terrorist activity, violence or attempts to rearm, Israel will retain the right to take action, the official said.

The agreement also means there will be no IDF redeployment from Gaza until Hamas has been fully disarmed and the territory demilitarized. Israeli forces will also not withdraw from the so-called Yellow Line during this stage of the process.

The talks also produced an understanding that reconstruction and broader rehabilitation efforts in Gaza will not move forward until Hamas’ disarmament has been completed.

According to sources familiar with the discussions, Hamas must begin handing over its weapons if it wants to demonstrate that the disarmament process is genuine and viable. The weapons surrendered by Hamas will not be transferred to a future Palestinian governing body. Instead, they will be destroyed.

During the initial phase, Hamas is expected to hand the weapons directly to an American force, with their destruction carried out under the responsibility and supervision of US General Jasper Jeffers.

The Board of Peace said the talks also addressed Israel’s previous commitments under the agreement that helped secure the release of all hostages, including the living hostages and, tragically, the remains of those who were killed.

To coordinate the next phase, Israel and the Board of Peace agreed to establish two joint working groups immediately. One will focus on security and the complete demilitarization of Gaza, while the second will address basic humanitarian needs, including sanitation, clean water and public health.

Sanitation has emerged as an immediate priority amid concerns over deteriorating conditions in Gaza and the risk of disease outbreaks.

The discussions brought together senior Israeli, American and Board of Peace officials. Israeli participants included Shin Bet chief David Zini, the head of the National Security Council and Netanyahu’s military secretary. The Board of Peace delegation included senior officials Nikolay Mladenov and Tony Blair, while US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and American military officers also took part.

In an interview with Channel 12, Mladenov warned that dismantling Hamas’ extensive tunnel network could take as long as 10 years, underscoring the scale of the demilitarization challenge facing the parties.

The Board of Peace official said the sides share a broader objective, backed by Trump: creating a “fully demilitarized and deradicalized Gaza” that no longer poses a threat to Israel and where Palestinians can pursue “prosperity and dignity peacefully.”

The agreements mark a move toward the implementation phase of the Gaza roadmap, with Hamas’ complete disarmament emerging as the central condition for any further Israeli redeployment and reconstruction of the Strip.