Israeli PM Still Silent on Trump's Announcement of Hamas Disarmament in Gaza

JAKARTA - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far remained silent in front of the public following US President Donald Trump's announcement of a new deal aimed at disarming Hamas in Gaza.

However, this development triggered a sharp political reaction in Israel ahead of the general election in October.

Although Netanyahu has not given an official response, hours before Trump's announcement, an Israeli official rejected key elements of the reported framework, insisting Hamas' "total disarmament" remains a prerequisite for any process.

The official said there would be no Israeli troop withdrawal from the Gaza "yellow line" until the demilitarization was completed.

Netanyahu's silence was not followed by his right-wing coalition, which instead voiced strong opposition to the deal.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir rejected any deal reached through third parties, insisting the only acceptable outcome was Hamas' destruction.

Minister from the Religious Zionist party, Orit Strouk, called the deal "dangerous"

Despite the criticism, Israel has recently advanced some elements of Trump's broader 20-point plan for Gaza.

On Sunday, the security cabinet approved the deployment of international stabilization forces on a limited scale - 200 personnel from Morocco and Uganda - to enter the pilot zone in Rafah. However, the Israeli official called it a limited initial step, while stressing that further deployment would require special approval from Israel.

Citing CNN, Friday, July 31, a source in Israel who knows the discussions said Netanyahu is unlikely to publicly oppose the disarmament deal, as he considers Hamas will eventually violate the terms of the deal and not abide by its commitments.

The source added that Netanyahu is unlikely to order a withdrawal of troops from Gaza ahead of October's general election.

Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, who is currently Netanyahu's main challenger in the election, criticized Netanyahu's silence.

He accused Netanyahu of hiding the deal from the public and said it raised serious questions about whether Israel was a party to the deal, or whether - once again - the deal was imposed on Israel without the country's involvement.