Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. envoy Jared Kushner agreed on Monday that Hamas must surrender its weapons under the supervision of an American general before any Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, after Kushner met a Hamas delegation in Egypt on Sunday.
The Jerusalem talks lasted more than three hours and also included former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov, and U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee. Netanyahu insisted that Israeli forces will remain in Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed, and named General Jasper Jeffers as the intended commander overseeing the handover. Kushner reiterated that no reconstruction can begin before demilitarisation.
The agreement also includes work on Gaza's sanitation infrastructure to prevent disease. Netanyahu had earlier rejected the 15-point ceasefire proposal, citing Israeli elections due in late October.