RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US President Donald Trump will be “very disappointed” if Israel doesn’t allow for the advancement of his 20-point plan for the reconstruction of Gaza, a senior US official said on Thursday.
The warning was issued during a briefing with reporters shortly after Trump announced that Hamas had approved the disarmament plan put forward by his Board of Peace.
Responding to reports of a breakthrough in talks between the Board of Peace and Hamas in Egypt earlier Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement pouring cold water on the optimism by claiming that the disarmament proposal did not meet Israel's demands for a full demilitarization of Gaza in exchange for any withdrawals from the Strip.
The statement apparently irked the Trump administration, prompting the senior US official to tell reporters, “We’re not asking Israel to do anything that isn’t in the 20-point plan that they agreed to initially, and so we’re very confident they will adhere to it. If they don’t, President Trump would be very, very disappointed."
“We just need them to keep to the original agreement that got their hostages home and ended the war. Gaza was the biggest thorn in their side for many years,” the official continued. “With all of the different issues they have going on right now, this is not something they want to escalate as an issue right now.”
“We believe that they’ll continue to be a good partner in this and comply,” the US official added.
“Israel didn’t believe we’d get the deal done to get the hostages out. They didn’t believe we’d get the bodies out. They’re very skeptical that Hamas will disarm… But Hamas did make a deal… and Hamas did come through by getting the bodies out and the hostages, so our intention is to hold Israel to its commitments as well and make sure we can be a fair broker.”
The US official also called out Israel for objecting to including Qatar and Turkey in the Board of Peace.
“There was a lot of criticism, particularly in Israel, when we invited Turkey and Qatar to join the Board of Peace Gaza Executive Board, but they’ve been essential partners along with Egypt in helping keep this ceasefire together,” he said. “Israel has its own craziness with their politics, and Palestinian aspirations are important. But we’re trying to put that to the side and constantly push forward."
Thursday's briefing was scheduled by the White House to offer additional details on the disarmament proposal accepted by Hamas.
A Board of Peace official separately told The Times of Israel that Hamas's authorization triggered a 14-day period during which the sides will finalize the timeline for implementing each subsequent step of the disarmament framework.
The potential timelines on the table for the full disarmament process range from roughly 200 to 350 days, another Board of Peace official said during the briefing.
Once that timeline is locked in, the Board of Peace will begin holding Israel to its commitments from the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire, the second Board of Peace official said.
Israel was supposed to cease striking Gaza and meet a series of benchmarks pertaining to the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip that it has largely ignored.
The Board of Peace largely refrained from holding Israel to those commitments, as Hamas dragged its feet on agreeing to the US-led panel’s disarmament proposal.
Now that Hamas has consented to the roadmap, Israel will be expected to withdraw to the original Yellow Line that was established in the October 2025 ceasefire. That demarcation kept Israel in control of roughly 53 percent of Gaza, but Israel has since violated that clause by pushing to occupy as much as 70% of the Strip.
Israel won’t be required to withdraw beyond the original Yellow Line until Hamas begins to hand over its weapons, the first Board of Peace official told The Times of Israel, adding that the IDF will only be allowed to respond to what are deemed as imminent threats.
Hamas and all other armed Palestinian factions will also be required to cease all military activity after the initial 14-day period is complete and the timelines for the entire roadmap are set, the second Board of Peace official said.
An Implementation Verification Committee (IVC) will be established to independently confirm that both sides are adhering to their commitments from the October 2025 ceasefire.
The roadmap will not advance to a subsequent phase of decommissioning, withdrawal or reconstruction until the completion of the initial phase has been confirmed by the IVC.
Once it is verified that the sides are adhering to the terms of the October 2025 ceasefire, the Board of Peace’s disarmament proposal envisions the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) — the panel of Palestinian technocrats tasked with replacing Hamas in governing the Strip — gradually entering the enclave, the Board of Peace official said.
The NCAG will seek to maintain a continuity of services for the people of Gaza, even as it hires new civil workers, or fires or reassigns those who have been working for Hamas.
While both Board of Peace officials noted the 14-day initial timeline, they — along with the senior US official — appeared to leave the door open to the possibility that the process could be dragged out, just as it has until this point.
“Don’t get stuck on the dates and the number of days because the timelines really depend on how each phase is implemented,” said the second Board of Peace official.
“I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on timing,” the US official added. “Hopefully both sides will cooperate… and if they don’t, we’ll deal with it accordingly, as we have in the last few months.”
Gradually entering the Strip along with the NCAG will be the International Stabilization Force (ISF) and a new Palestinian police force for Gaza, a Board of Peace official said during a briefing with reporters.
The US official said the Board ...
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