Israel Rejects Gaza Pullout as Disarmament Claim Unravels
President Trump’s claim that Hamas had begun disarming unravelled on Saturday, as an official on his “Board of Peace” first said the process had started and then conceded it would begin only “in the coming days”. Israel said it did not approve of the framework and would not withdraw its forces until Hamas had “really” disarmed, contradicting Mr Trump’s insistence that Israel was “very happy”. The Israeli military said it had destroyed five Hamas weapons stores overnight.
The confusion underlined how far Mr Trump’s declared breakthrough remains from reality on the ground. His plan would see Israel withdraw in stages as Hamas surrenders its arms, but neither side trusts the other to move first, and Mr Netanyahu faces hardliners who reject any pullout. One of the weapons stores struck lay next to a hospital, the military said, an account that could not be verified. With the diplomacy stalling and the strikes continuing, the deal looked increasingly fragile. Watch whether the “coming days” bring any real disarmament, or the framework collapses.