Israeli officials on Sunday pushed back against reports that Jerusalem had agreed to stop targeting Hamas leaders as part of a proposed Gaza disarmament arrangement, saying no such commitment has been approved and that operations against terrorists will continue.
The reports suggested Israel would withdraw from the Gaza Strip, suspend military operations and end targeted strikes on Hamas leaders in return for the terrorist group’s disarmament. An Israeli official disputed that account, saying the cabinet has not discussed the proposal.
In an interview with Army Radio, Cohen said, “there has not been a cabinet discussion [on the Gaza plan] in the past 72 hours.”
He also dismissed suggestions that Israel’s policy of targeting Hamas operatives had changed.
“Any armed actor who operates, threatens, that is involved with terrorism, we will eliminate him,” Cohen said.
The comments followed claims by Palestinian politician Mohammad Dahlan that senior White House adviser Jared Kushner had informed him Israel had agreed to halt its military strikes in Gaza beginning Sunday as part of efforts to advance the initiative.
The competing accounts came a day after reports that Hamas had accepted a proposal calling for the group to disarm in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to Israeli military activity there.
Separately, the Gaza Peace Council released a document outlining what it described as a roadmap for implementing President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan. The framework calls for implementation procedures and a timetable to be finalized within 14 days, followed by the entry of a National Committee for the Management of Gaza, described as a technocratic government, and the subsequent deployment of an International Stabilization Force.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly addressed the proposal. However, statements attributed to a “senior Israeli official” indicated that Israel considers the current framework inadequate and is not prepared to end its military presence.
