Tel Aviv, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted on Thursday that there would be no reconstruction of the Gaza Strip before its demilitarization, ahead of the inaugural meeting of the so-called “Peace Council” in Washington, chaired by US President Donald Trump.
In a televised address during a military ceremony, Netanyahu stated, “We have agreed with our ally, the United States, that there will be no reconstruction before Gaza is demilitarized,” emphasizing that this is a fundamental condition for the next phase.
International meeting and US financial support
Trump is hosting some 20 world leaders and senior officials in Washington for the first meeting of the “Peace Council,” established under the ceasefire agreement in effect since October 10. This agreement was brokered by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt after two years of war in the Gaza Strip.
During the meeting, Trump announced $10 billion in support of the council, amid expectations of further pledges related to the reconstruction of Gaza, much of which has been reduced to rubble. He also proposed ideas for developing investment projects in the Strip.
Research on the deployment of an “international stabilization force”
The meeting is scheduled to discuss ways to deploy an “international stabilization force” to assume security responsibilities in Gaza, at a time when the future of Hamas and its role in the Strip is among the most sensitive issues.
Disarming the movement is a key Israeli demand and a central point in the next phase of ceasefire negotiations. US envoy Steve Wittkopf indicated that tangible progress had been made, confirming that the movement is under pressure to relinquish its weapons.
Israel has also hinted at the possibility of imposing broad restrictions, including the confiscation of small arms from Hamas members.
Gaza Administration Committee
In the same vein, the position of the Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with managing the Gaza Strip regarding the disarmament issue remains unclear. The 15-member National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is scheduled to operate under the auspices of the “Peace Council,” and its chairman, Ali Shaath, is attending the Washington meeting.
For its part, Hamas stated that it sees the possibility of addressing the issue of weapons within “internal national approaches” related to the nature of the next phase, affirming its readiness to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian technocratic committee. No official Israeli comment has been issued regarding this step.
