Board of Peace Revises IDF Withdrawal Conditions After Meeting with Netanyahu

The Board of Peace, the U.S.-led body overseeing post-war Gaza, announced on Monday that Israeli forces will not move beyond the Yellow Line until Hamas finishes decommissioning all weapons, including light arms, heavy weapons and tunnels. The statement followed a meeting in Jerusalem between the board’s high representative Nickolay Mladenov, senior adviser Aryeh Lightstone and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The board clarified that the withdrawal will occur only after the disarmament commitments made by Hamas to mediators are fulfilled. Earlier drafts of the statement had referred to a “full withdrawal,” but the term was removed after publication.

Netanyahu reportedly told Mladenov that Israel would not halt fire in Gaza or withdraw from the Yellow Line while Hamas remains a threat, and he presented a list of reservations about the disarmament plan, including objections to the involvement of Qatar and Turkey in the verification committee and to the proposal that Hamas weapons be stored rather than destroyed.

Mladenov described the negotiations as “the start of the hard phase,” noting that progress would be “slow, grinding and technical.” Board officials later briefed U.S. congressional staff, emphasizing bipartisan support for peace, security, governance and reconstruction efforts in Gaza.

Hours after the meeting, an Israeli airstrike in the Sheikh Ajlin neighborhood of Gaza City killed two people, ending a 24-hour lull in attacks. The Israeli military also reported killing several Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives in recent strikes, citing ongoing threats to Israeli troops and civilians.

The revised withdrawal timeline comes as Israel prepares for elections on Oct. 27, with Prime Minister Netanyahu facing pressure from coalition partners to maintain a strong stance against Hamas.