Netanyahu vows to demilitarise Gaza and disarm Hamas as talks continue

Benjamin Netanyahu said he was committed to disarming Hamas and demilitarising Gaza during a speech before the Israeli Knesset yesterday, as Palestinian officials arrived in Cairo for further peace talks.

- William Christou

The Israeli prime minister said in his address that the current ceasefire deal provided for the return of all Israeli hostages, the Israeli military’s control over the majority of Gaza’s territory and an internationally backed consensus that Hamas would be disarmed.

He added that he expected to forge additional peace agreements in the region with Donald Trump.

The speech came hours after Netanyahu met the US Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who flew to Israel to discuss Sunday’s breaches of the ceasefire. The US vice-president, JD Vance, was expected to arrive in Israel today to further discuss the implementation of the truce.

On Sunday an attack supposedly by Hamas militants killed two Israeli soldiers, prompting Israel to launch a wave of airstrikes across the strip that resulted in the deaths of 44 Palestinians. Hamas denied being involved in the attack.

The Israeli government initially said it would cut off all humanitarian aid to Gaza after the attack, but walked back its statement on Sunday night after consultations with the US. Israel’s crossings with Gaza were open for humanitarian aid yesterday, though the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza remained closed.

The US has sought to downplay Sunday’s attacks, with Vance saying there would be “hills and valleys” in the ceasefire process and suggesting Hamas leadership may not have been involved with the gun battle.