Israel: Israel has reportedly told the White House that it is prepared to negotiate an agreement that would halt targeted killings of Palestinian terrorists in Gaza, but would not apply to those involved in the October 7, 2023, attack, according to Israel’s Channel 13.
The report comes a day after The Times of Israel reported that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had suspended a special operation aimed at locating and killing every terrorist involved in the October 7 massacre.
Disarmament Plan Remains Under Discussion
Israel reportedly communicated its position to Washington as discussions continued over a US-backed roadmap for disarming the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally rejected the proposed plan on Sunday, insisting that Israeli forces would not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is “genuinely disarmed.”
Despite Netanyahu’s rejection, an official from the US-backed Board of Peace told Reuters on Monday that the disarmament proposal remains under consideration and that discussions with Israel are continuing.
“The plan is very much still operative and advancing,” the official said, adding that implementation would depend on verification on the ground and that each stage would move forward only after the required commitments were fulfilled.
US President Donald Trump announced last month that his Gaza peace initiative had reached a breakthrough, presenting a 15-point proposal that would involve an Israeli military withdrawal and the transfer of Hamas’s weapons.
Reports on the proposal indicate that Hamas would gradually surrender its weapons to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a body of Palestinian technocrats overseen by the Board of Peace and intended to replace Hamas in governing the Strip.
Under the reported framework, Israeli forces would also return immediately to the original Yellow Line, which roughly divides Gaza into eastern and western sections. This would reverse Israeli military advances made in recent months after Netanyahu ordered the IDF to take control of more than 70 percent of the Gaza Strip.
Israel would reportedly also be prohibited from carrying out strikes except against targets considered imminent threats.
Speaking at the beginning of Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu rejected the proposed withdrawal, saying Israeli forces would not leave Gaza “until Hamas is disarmed.”
He stressed that disarmament must include heavy weapons, lighter weapons, and all other arms, emphasizing that Israel was seeking “genuine disarmament” rather than what he described as a symbolic or ineffective arrangement.
Netanyahu confirmed that Israel was discussing its concerns over the roadmap with Washington, saying some US proposals were acceptable while others were not.
Meanwhile, Trump was asked by reporters in the Oval Office on Monday whether he had any response to Netanyahu’s rejection of the proposed plan.
