The US-led Board of Peace has stated that Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza will only proceed after Hamas completes its disarmament. This assurance came following a meeting on Monday, August 4th, 2026, between the Board’s director, Nickolay Mladenov, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in West Jerusalem.

The Board of Peace, established by US President Donald Trump in January to oversee Gaza’s administration post-conflict, emphasized that the withdrawal beyond the "Yellow Line"—the demarcation behind which Israeli forces remain in Gaza—will take place only once Hamas has fully decommissioned its weapons, including light and heavy arms as well as tunnels. The Board described this as a "common understanding of the shared objectives" with Israel.

During the talks, Mladenov reportedly urged Netanyahu to halt attacks on Gaza, though Israel has continued military actions despite a ceasefire declared in October 2025, resulting in over 1,200 Palestinian deaths, including more than 36 after the disarmament agreement was announced.

Israeli political figures expressed dissatisfaction with the deal. Two members of Netanyahu’s security cabinet called for a vote to annul the agreement championed by Trump, which had proposed a phased Israeli withdrawal. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described the deal as "completely different" from what the Israeli government had approved and demanded an immediate new vote.

Netanyahu’s office also raised concerns to the United States after Trump hailed the agreement as a "major milestone" following Hamas’s commitment to hand over weapons to a nascent Palestinian governing committee.

Nickolay Mladenov acknowledged the difficulty of the work during his meeting with Netanyahu, underscoring the complex nature of the peace process.

Sources