Netanyahu and Kushner agree U.S. general to supervise Hamas weapons handover
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said a U.S. military general would oversee the transfer of Hamas arms as part of a demilitarisation plan for Gaza, while reconstruction would be delayed until disarmament is complete.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former U.S. president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner reached an agreement that a U.S. military general would supervise the handover of Hamas weapons as the first step toward demilitarising the Gaza Strip, a senior Israeli official said. The deal was made during an hours-long meeting that also included U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, former British prime minister Tony Blair and other members of the Trump-led Board of Peace.
Netanyahu and Kushner reportedly agreed that any reconstruction of Gaza would be postponed until Hamas is fully disarmed and that “necessary measures” would be taken to address sanitation and environmental concerns. The Israeli prime minister’s office confirmed the creation of two working groups – one on disarmament and demilitarisation, the other on public-health issues such as clean water – but did not confirm the specific details of the weapons handover.
“We will hear the concerns that have been raised and talk about next steps,” a Board of Peace official told NBC News, adding that both sides “agree on the desired outcome and are finding ways to accelerate progress.”
The meeting took place amid growing political pressure on Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s October elections and a rare public split between the United States and Israel over the future roadmap for Gaza. While the Trump-backed peace plan calls for Hamas disarmament before any Israeli withdrawal, Netanyahu has previously rejected the plan’s 15-point proposal, insisting that Israel will not pull out until Hamas is “genuinely disarmed.”
The agreement was contrasted with hard-line comments from Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who on a podcast called for “targeted killings” of dozens of Gaza residents each night and described Palestinians as “not human beings.” Those statements have been cited in a case before the International Court of Justice alleging genocide, which both the United States and Israel deny.