Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will not withdraw its forces from Gaza until Hamas fully disarms, and that military operations there will continue. He restated the position during a three-hour meeting in Israel on August 18 with Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and special envoy. An Israeli official said the meeting produced no agreement.

A day earlier, Kushner met Hamas political chief Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt. Hamas demanded that Israel withdraw from roughly 60 percent of Gaza under Israeli control before implementation of any agreement. Hamas said it accepts the US-backed 15-point roadmap, including disarmament, but said implementation requires all parties to agree to it.

Netanyahu’s office said the sides agreed to create two working groups on demilitarising Gaza and ending its militarisation. Netanyahu also requested the appointment of a US general to oversee Hamas weapons handovers. Officials from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey attended the talks. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and several other countries condemned Israel’s rejection of the roadmap and called for immediate, specific steps to prevent obstruction of the agreement.