Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly acknowledged disagreements with U.S. President Donald Trump regarding a Gaza agreement presented by the Peace Committee last week. Netanyahu stated that Israel will not agree to the withdrawal of its forces before Hamas is completely disarmed.
The disagreement follows an announcement by President Trump last week that a 'historic' agreement had been reached regarding Gaza, intended to be implemented in carefully structured phases.
The text of the agreement, accessed by Al Jazeera, stipulates that the disarmament of Hamas was to be linked to the phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. This version envisioned disarmament and Israeli withdrawal as parallel, phased processes.
The agreement also provided for a cessation of Israeli attacks, the implementation of last year's Sharm el-Sheikh ceasefire agreement, unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid, and the continuation of medical evacuations from Gaza.
Hamas has stated that the implementation of the agreement depends on whether Israel fulfills its obligations.
Shifting implementation order
The Israeli government stated that its forces will not withdraw behind the 'Yellow Line'—the boundary marking areas under Israeli military control in Gaza—until Hamas is fully disarmed.
Nickolay Mladenov, the chief envoy of Trump’s Peace Committee, clarified that the withdrawal of Israeli troops behind the 'Yellow Line' would occur only after the completion of the disarmament process. This process includes the disarmament of light and heavy weaponry as well as the network of underground tunnels, in line with commitments Hamas made to international mediators.
The revised implementation order effectively changes the original structure of the agreement, which had envisioned disarmament and withdrawal as parallel processes.
UN warns of humanitarian crisis and civilian deaths
The United Nations has warned of worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, stated that the UN condemns the killing of civilians. Haq also noted that Gaza’s health authorities recorded more than 150 civilian deaths in July—the highest monthly number since the start of the year. Haq also condemned an Israeli strike that destroyed a medical supplies warehouse near Al-Aqsa Hospital.
The UN warns that Gaza’s healthcare system is facing severe shortages of essential medicines and medical supplies. Haq reported shortages of insulin for diabetic patients, medications for cardiovascular patients, and alcohol-based disinfectants.
Additional medical supplies required for infection prevention and control are currently awaiting Israeli approval to enter the Gaza Strip.
