Gaza Peace Council Chief: Israeli Pullback Would Be Gradual, Tied to Demilitarization

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Monday afternoon, responding to a report that Israel had agreed to begin withdrawing from the Rafah area: "We deny the report. The prime minister has not agreed to any withdrawal in Gaza."

Earlier, a statement issued by the Gaza Peace Council said: "Israel is implementing the agreement in practice, on the ground, while the leadership is acting in a puzzling manner, and the implication by those sources is that political considerations are involved. The Israeli government is, in practice, implementing the 15-point document. Targeted killings have stopped, and the ceasefire is being fully maintained, exactly as both sides were required to do. The IDF is effectively holding the original yellow line and retains control of 53% of the Strip."

It should be noted that yesterday, at the start of the Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu stressed that the IDF would not withdraw from the yellow line until Hamas is stripped of all its weapons. That evening, Nikolay Mladenov, CEO of the Gaza Peace Council, was interviewed by Channel 12 News and said that Israel had agreed to the 15-point plan, which includes a gradual withdrawal in line with the demilitarization of areas in the Gaza Strip.

The interview claimed that Israel had discussed the possibility of withdrawing from territory in the Gaza Strip, in the Rafah area, and that Netanyahu attended discussions held last week on the issue. The withdrawals under discussion involve three adjacent areas, approved by the security establishment together with the Americans, in accordance with the initial understandings.

Mladenov addressed the roadmap rejected by Netanyahu in the interview and clarified: "No one is required to do anything before the steps are implemented on the ground. An Israeli withdrawal will take place gradually and only in accordance with progress on demilitarization. We will dismantle it area by area. The plan includes all weapons in the Strip, including Kalashnikovs, as well as the tunnels and production sites."

"The roadmap is a document between the Peace Council, chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump, and Hamas. The goal of the plan is to ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel’s security and that what happened on October 7 is not repeated. The plan is not limited to demilitarizing the Strip. What is actually required is for Hamas to hand over not only its weapons, but also responsibility for governing Gaza — tunnels, infrastructure, governance, everything — to the Peace Council, in order to ensure that Gaza and Israel live in peace from this point forward. Hamas agreed to immediately implement a halt to all of its 'military activities.'".