Israel must refuse phase two of Trump’s Gaza plan until Hamas is fully disarmed - JPost Editorial

 

​ by JPost Editorial

Regardless of the pressure, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must defy his closest ally in Washington.

 

Islamic Jihad and Hamas terrorists transport a white body bag believed to carry the remains of an Israeli hostage in the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on December 3, 2025.

(photo credit: AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

 

There is no ceasefire in Gaza.

Almost daily skirmishes between the IDF and Hamas are taking place around the Yellow Line buffer zone, with casualties on both sides.

The IDF said that in two separate incidents on Saturday, forces deployed in northern Gaza had fired on terrorists who crossed the line, killing three.

On the other side of the line, Hamas is digging in and cementing its control of the area that Israel has vacated since the so-called ceasefire was declared in late September by US President Donald Trump at a gala White House event. There, Trump unveiled his ambitious 20-point plan for Gaza, including the plans for rebuilding the enclave, setting up a new governing body, and disarming Hamas.

On Saturday, Khaled Mashaal, the head of Hamas abroad, who Israel targeted in the Doha assassination attempt earlier in September, announced that Hamas will not disarm, give up its rule of Gaza, or permit external oversight in the territory, including from the International Stabilization Force (ISF).

Islamic Jihad and Hamas militants transport a white body bag believed to carry the remains of an Israeli hostage in the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on December 3, 2025. (credit: AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

“Protecting the resistance project [Hamas’s terrorism] and the resistance’s weapons is our people’s right to defend itself. The resistance and its weapons are the honor and pride of the nation,” he said via video at an Istanbul conference titled “Pledge to Jerusalem.”

Yet, as if deaf to the realities on the ground, plans for the second phase of Trump’s 20-point plan are moving forward at a steady pace.  On December 15, the president is expected, with great flourish, to announce the composition of the “Board of Peace.”

This high-level council, chaired by Trump, will oversee temporary governance of Gaza, supervise reconstruction funding, and prepare the ground for an eventual handover to a reformed Palestinian Authority.

Hamas still refusing to disarm

The problems, of course, are that Hamas is refusing to disarm, the PA has indeed not reformed from its path (particularly its pay-for-slay policy of financing the families of terrorists), and, as pointed out last week, Hamas is still holding onto the body of slain policeman Ran Gvili.

Trump is banking on all of the parties being on board, including the immediate surrounding countries, the states making up the ISF, and, of course, Israel.

The pressure on Israel is already beginning to mount. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani agreed that there really is no ceasefire in Gaza, and put the onus on Israel.

 “A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal of the Israeli forces; [until] there is stability back in Gaza, people can go in and out, which is not the case today,” he said on Saturday at the Doha Forum.

Saudi minister Manal Radwan said at the same forum that it’s not the PA but Israel that needs reform.

 “We have an Israeli government that opposes the two-state solution. We have an Israeli government that has officials continuously inciting against Palestinians, against Arabs, and against Muslims,” said Radwan. “We don’t see that we have a partner for peace, not even a partner for a sustainable ceasefire. So that is the actual and important reform that we are hoping to see.”

The question now is whether Trump will stick to the 20-point plan and insist on the disarmament of Hamas, or if he will join the ISF partners, like Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who told the forum that disarming Hamas only needs to take place once there is a governance body set up in Gaza.

That’s why Israel must be more vigilant than ever and demand that Hamas be disarmed at the outset of Phase 2 of the ceasefire. The pressure from the Arab partners on the deal is one thing, but with Trump intent on seeing his deal work, he’s likely to join in the pressure on Israel to compromise.

That’s something we cannot do. Others may see the rebuilding of Gaza and the “peace” trophy in the Middle East as the most urgent items on the agenda. For Israel, however, the safeguarding of its borders and removing the Hamas threat, once and for all, is the overarching goal.

Regardless of the pressure, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must defy his closest ally in Washington and insist that the second phase commences with Hamas disarming and no longer posing a threat to Israel.

JPost Editorial

Source: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-879540

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