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Netanyahu stays silent on Trump Gaza disarmament deal after weekend strikes kill 28
Developing
What we know
More than three days after President Trump unveiled a Board of Peace “roadmap” for Hamas disarmament and further Israeli withdrawal in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had still not said publicly Monday whether Israel accepts it, CNN reported. Instead, Israeli airstrikes over the weekend killed 28 people in Gaza—the deadliest toll in weeks—despite language calling for a halt to attacks. Unnamed Israeli officials and allies said Israel had not signed on and would not withdraw before Hamas is fully disarmed.
Board of Peace chief envoy Nickolay Mladenov rebuked the weekend violence on X for killing civilians and destroying medical supplies, then arrived in Israel Monday with U.S. adviser Aryeh Lightstone to meet Netanyahu. A Board readout called the meeting “constructive and detailed,” saying full decommissioning and a civilian transition were “not in question” but the process was “still being worked out.” An Israeli official afterward reiterated Israel would not withdraw from its current Gaza line. Far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Orit Strouk wrote Netanyahu urging a security-cabinet block on the international stabilization force; Hamas has conditioned disarmament steps on an Israeli halt to attacks and withdrawal from territory seized beyond the October 2025 ceasefire line.
What's confirmed
- Netanyahu: no public acceptance of Trump disarmament phase >3 days after unveil; weekend strikes killed 28 in Gaza (CNN Aug. 3).
- Mladenov Sunday rebuke + Monday meeting with Netanyahu (with Lightstone); Board readout: goal shared, process unresolved (CNN).
- Post-meeting Israeli statement: no withdrawal from current Gaza line; continue thwarting threats (CNN).
- Smotrich/Strouk letter pressing to block ISF entry; Likud MK Halevi dismissed the agreement as meaningless (CNN). Hamas: no first disarmament step until Israel stops attacks (Slate).
What's still developing
- Whether Trump presses Netanyahu to accept withdrawal terms before Israel’s October elections.
- Whether relative calm after Sunday evening holds, and whether any ISF pilot deployment proceeds.