Israel Cites Security Risks in Hamas Disarmament Pact as Gaza Toll Rises

Israel has conveyed "serious security concerns" to the White House over the proposed Hamas disarmament deal, even as fresh Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 17 people, including children, overnight and into Sunday evening, an Israeli official said.

Doron Spielman, spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, made some of the first public comments since US President Donald Trump announced the agreement. Speaking to The Associated Press, Spielman said Israel's intelligence assessment is that Hamas remains committed to rebuilding its military rather than genuinely demilitarizing. He added that Israeli forces would not withdraw from Gaza, where they control over 60% of the territory, before Hamas disarms.

"Our assessment is that if we redeploy before Hamas is truly disarmed, it will quickly expand its presence throughout Gaza, rebuild its terrorist infrastructure, once again threaten Israeli communities, and seek to carry out another Oct. 7-style attack," he said, referring to the Hamas militant attack on Israel in 2023 that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip.

"Disarming means physically giving up the weapons. Nothing less," Spielman said.

His comments come days after Hamas said it would begin disarming as part of the US-brokered ceasefire signed nine months ago to end the nearly three-year-long conflict. The development marks a potential breakthrough, but numerous hurdles, conditions, and lengthy timelines remain.

Trump's 20-point ceasefire plan calls on the militant group to surrender its weapons and destroy its vast network of tunnels. It also envisions Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza, the arrival of a new technocratic Palestinian government, deployment of an international security force, and the rebuilding of the battered enclave.

Hamas disarming has been a sticking point that deadlocked negotiations for months. Announcing the deal on social media Thursday, Trump said it would be carried out in "carefully structured phases." A copy of the agreement obtained and verified by the AP said all weapons held by the Hamas-run police will be transferred to the US-backed Palestinian technocratic committee, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, upon its arrival in the enclave. The timing remains unclear, as it depends on other steps.

A process to decommission and store heavy weapons, dismantle military production sites, and destroy tunnels will begin after the committee's arrival and the deployment of international forces. According to the agreement, this process will be linked to a phased Israeli withdrawal.

The areas Israel controls in Gaza have been largely destroyed and depopulated. Most of the territory's 2 million Palestinians live in the other part, where hundreds of thousands reside in squalid tent camps and ruined neighborhoods.

Israel appears unlikely to pull back significant forces or make other concessions ahead of its October elections. Netanyahu faces a tough reelection battle, with far-right coalition partners urging him to maintain pressure on Hamas and keep troops in Gaza, while opponents accuse him of failing to prevent the October 7, 2023, attack.

Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities that day, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 others hostage. Israel responded with a punishing military offensive that has killed more than 73,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the recently dissolved Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records widely regarded by UN agencies and international organizations as generally reliable. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants, though it says women and children make up about half of all fatalities.

Spielman said Israel greatly appreciates Trump's commitment to its security and to finding a durable resolution, but maintained that any deal must ensure Hamas completely disarms before any redeployment.