Israeli withdrawal in Gaza only after Hamas lays down all weapons, Board of Peace confirms

The Gaza Board of Peace (BoP) confirmed on Monday that the Israeli military withdrawal in the Gaza Strip will take place only after Hamas has handed over all of its weapons, calming Israeli concerns but potentially endangering the terror group’s approval of the agreement reached last week.

Following a meeting between High Representative Nickolay Mladenov and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the BoP confirmed that “contrary to inaccurate reports,” the IDF’s withdrawal “will take place only once decommissioning is complete.”

In its statement, the BoP also noted that “Hamas committed” to this process.

“This applies to light weapons, heavy weapons, and the tunnels alike. Implementation will be overseen by the International Stabilization Force (ISF) and by the Implementation Verification Committee, on which both the United States and the Board of Peace sit,” the BoP said.

Language used by the BoP and Mladenov last week had sparked concern that Israel would have to start withdrawing before Hamas had handed over all of its weapons, drawing criticism from within the governing coalition and anonymous statements by senior officials.

Long day in Jerusalem, sitting down with Prime Minister Netanyahu and his team. This is the start of the hard phase and I have never pretended otherwise. Not much of what we do now is dramatic. It is slow, grinding and technical work. https://t.co/KQIVRkzBTE

— Nickolay E. MLADENOV (@nmladenov) August 3, 2026

A “senior political source,” widely believed to be in the close circle of Netanyahu, briefed media outlets that “Israel will not withdraw from its current line in the Gaza Strip and will continue to thwart any threat to our civilians and soldiers.”

This came after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlements Minister Orit Strock came out publicly against the Israeli approval for the entry of the ISF into Gaza.

According to reports, the vote was rushed through the cabinet in a last-minute effort to make concessions ahead of the meeting between Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump.

In a joint statement, Smotrich and Strock claimed the BoP had “deceived” Israel and demanded to revoke the permit for the ISF.

“The official document published by the Board of Peace differs fundamentally from the framework that was presented to ministers during the cabinet discussions,” they claimed.

A Roadmap for Completing the Implementation of President Trump’s Comprehensive Peace Plan in Gaza + Explanatory Document: Key Elements of the Arrangement and the Meaning of Its Provisionshttps://t.co/lDdzDKMDFR

— Board of Peace (@BoardOfPeace) August 1, 2026

They also noted that the roadmap did not explicitly stipulate “that all weapons – including small arms, heavy weapons, weapons stockpiles, production facilities, and tunnels – will be removed from the Strip or destroyed” but instead said they would be transferred to the new technocratic government of Gaza, the NCAG.

The BoP’s latest statement answered this objection by noting that “light weapons, heavy weapons, and the tunnels” would be decommissioned.

However, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel that Israel continues to object to the proposal to put the weapons in storage under the NCAG’s authority rather than destroy them.

The BoP concluded that “The meeting was constructive and detailed. Israel and the Board of Peace share a common understanding of the ultimate objectives. The goal is clear and is not in question: the complete decommissioning of weapons in the Strip and the transition away from rule by the gun to civilian governance.”

Another critical point has been the BoP’s insistence that Israel halt its ongoing airstrikes and targeted assassinations in the Gaza Strip. When the IDF didn’t announce such strikes for over 24 hours, it led to speculation that Israel had agreed to the BoP’s request.

A Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist who invaded Israel during the October 7, 2023, onslaught and held Rom Braslavski in captivity was killed in an airstrike over the weekend, the IDF announces.

The strike in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah killed Mahmoud Fatair, a member of… pic.twitter.com/BJHedfHWJc

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 3, 2026

Mladenov on Sunday condemned the strikes for hindering efforts to de-escalate and achieve peace: “This comes after intense efforts by the Board Of Peace and the mediators (Egypt, Turkiye, Qatar and the US) to bring the Palestinian factions in Gaza to agree to a Roadmap on the full implementation of President Trump's plan.”

However, Israel Hayom reported that Netanyahu told Mladenov during the meeting that Israel would not hold its fire in Gaza, and the IDF subsequently announced the elimination of three terrorists in Gaza.

On Monday evening, the IDF said it eliminated the “Islamic Jihad terrorist who infiltrated Israel on October 7th and took part in holding Rom Braslavski hostage.”

“In November 2023, as part of the sixth phase of the hostage release agreement, the terrorist was documented wearing the Islamic Jihad uniform while participating in the hostage handover ceremony of numerous hostages, including Amit Shani, Ofir Engel, Moran Stela Yanai, Itay Regev, Liam Or-Nassar, Raz Ben Ami, Rantin Phaiboon, Gong Sae Lao, Seekena Jakkapan, and Saegkaew Charoemchai.”

Later that evening, the IDF also announced it had killed another terrorist who “infiltrated Israeli territory during the October 7th Massacre” and “actively participated in combat against IDF troops,” as well as “a commander in the Daraj Tuffah Battalion” of Hamas.