Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar stated that Israel insists on the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar reiterated Israel's position on Monday evening, insisting that Hamas must be fully disarmed and the Gaza Strip demilitarized. The statement, reported at 18:37 Jerusalem, comes hours after a series of earlier comments from the minister and other Israeli officials.
Earlier on Monday, at 13:01 Jerusalem, the first reports emerged: an Israeli official dismissed a report about the dissolution of the Hamas government as a 'meaningless spin.' Minister Sraya Harush then called the Hamas government resignation a 'spin' to avoid being declared in violation of the ceasefire. Sa'ar's own remarks were first reported by Amichai Stein (i24NEWS) at the same time, where he said Hamas's offer to make way for a technocrat government was a ploy to avoid disarmament under the Trump plan. Concurrently, Ynet and N12 reported Sa'ar warning that Hamas seeks a 'Hezbollah model' in Gaza — retaining weapons while appearing to cede civilian control. The wording of the statements evolved, but the core demand remained consistent: full disarmament of Hamas and demilitarization of Gaza.
As The Zioneer reported earlier Monday, the Hamas government in Gaza announced its resignation, which Israeli officials uniformly dismissed as a tactical spin. Sa'ar's latest statement reinforces the government's position that no partial measures will be accepted.
It remains unclear whether Sa'ar's evening statement was made in a new setting or was a reiteration of his earlier remarks. No additional details were provided by the foreign minister's office or the reporting outlets.
8 developments
- StrongTrump administration reportedly blocks Israeli 'creeping annexation' plan in Gaza
- DevelopingHamas's al-Hayya tightens line on Gaza disarmament in talks with Trump officials
- DevelopingEgypt proposes Hamas hand over weapons as 'deposit' to advance Trump plan, Kan reports
- DevelopingHamas spokesman Hazem Qassem welcomes Trump's statement, urges US to pressure Israel on ceasefire
Source and signal
- Internal intake
