2026-08-08 · contested story

Netanyahu says no Israeli withdrawal from Gaza until Hamas has been completely disarmed

In late July 2026, President Donald Trump announced that his US-backed 'Board of Peace' had reached a 'historic agreement' for the 'complete disarmament' of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza, to be followed by a phased Israeli withdrawal. Hamas confirmed it had agreed to a roadmap but insisted its disarmament was conditional on Israel halting strikes and withdrawing troops first. Israel never officially signed on, with an official saying there would be no withdrawal from the 'Yellow Line' until Hamas undergoes 'genuine' disarmament. By August 4-5, Prime Minister Netanyahu publicly stated Israel had not agreed to the US draft and would not withdraw until Hamas is completely disarmed, exposing a fundamental sequencing dispute over who acts first.

How each side frames it

left
"allowing Israel to help implement US President Donald Trump's mass expulsion plan for Gaza"
"These attacks form part of a comprehensive policy aimed at destroying the essentials of life in the Gaza Strip through mass killings, widespread destruction, starvation, and forced displacement as part of the ongoing genocide against more than two million Palestinians"
"This is an entry from: Live: Gaza death toll nears 50,700"
"military pressure is working... it crushes Hamas' military and governmental capabilities"
"Palestinians say Israel's killed more than 1000 Palestinians since the ceasefire was enacted"
center
"It also highlights the chicken and egg problem of who goes first"
"There was no immediate confirmation from Israel and Israeli officials have previously stated they would not withdraw until Hamas disarms"
"It is an understatement to say that those steps have enormous challenges"
"This plan is tethered, frankly, to a galaxy far, far away, rather than to the realities back here on planet Earth"
"Israel demands the complete disarmament of Hamas... as a precondition for any process... The 15-point document in question does not provide a satisfactory response to these demands and Israel conveyed its objections"
right
"Today, the Board of Peace reached a HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza. This is a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY"
"the Jewish state was 'very sceptical' about Hamas complying"
"We think we've managed to bring Hamas to a place where they can't say no"
"The threat that emerged from Gaza on October 7 will NOT be allowed to rebuild!"
"CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL ON THIS AMAZING DEVELOPMENT, THAT EVERYBODY SAID COULD NEVER BE ACHIEVED!"

What each side left out

The left left out — covered by the Axios & Fox News & New York Post
The left left out — covered by the Axios & The Hill
The right left out — covered by the Al Jazeera & Middle East Eye & PBS NewsHour & Los Angeles Times
The right left out — covered by the Los Angeles Times & Reuters & Ynetnews
The center left out — covered by the Middle East Eye & Al Jazeera
The left left out — covered by the Euronews & France24 & DW

What's actually true?

[verified] Trump announced the Board of Peace reached a 'historic agreement' for the complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza
[verified] Hamas said its disarmament is conditional on Israel withdrawing from Gaza and ending attacks
[verified] An Israeli official said there would be no Israeli withdrawal from the Yellow Line until Hamas undergoes 'genuine' disarmament
[verified] Netanyahu said on August 4 that Israel did not agree to the US draft and disarmament should come first
[verified] The disarmament process could take between 200 and 350 days according to a Board of Peace official
[verified] Israel currently controls around 60% of Gaza, with Netanyahu having said Israel intends to control 70% of the enclave
[verified] More than 1,000-1,252 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes since the October ceasefire took effect
[verified] Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called the deal 'unacceptable' and demanded assassinations in Gaza continue

The narrative clash

Whether Israel has agreed to the deal
Left: Trump said 'We do have an understanding with Israel. Israel is very happy about it.'
Right: The Trump administration 'sent us a draft. We did not agree. It is not our draft. We sent our comments,' Netanyahu said. 'This is our position.'
Sequencing of disarmament vs withdrawal
Left: A member of the Hamas negotiating team, Ghazi Hamad, told Al Jazeera: 'We will not take any action regarding disarmament prior to Israel's withdrawal from the strip.'
Right: As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force
Whether Gaza was discussed at Trump-Netanyahu meeting
Left: the issue of Gaza did not come up at all during the meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump
Right: the source added that Israel would not fully withdraw from Gaza until Hamas had fully disarmed and the Strip had been completely demilitarized

53 sources analyzed

Middle East Eye Al Jazeera The Guardian The Washington Post NBC News Politico NPR The Damage Report CNN Sky News theconversation.com Haaretz Military.com The Independent PBS NewsHour MSN (UK) Los Angeles Times USA Today CNBC BBC abcnews.com WSJ Reuters Bloomberg.com AP News cbsnews.com ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation jpost.com Euronews.com Axios DW.com Financial Times The Hill i24NEWS kare11.com Ynetnews france24.com NDTV Just Security The Hindu the-independent.com The Irish Times Marietta Daily Journal www.israelhayom.com KSAT Click2Houston newsday.com Hindustan Times Ground News Yahoo! Search nypost.com telegraph.co.uk Fox News

Perspectivity reads the coverage — not just who published it.

Read the full interactive analysis →