US general to oversee transfer of Hamas weapons to Gaza gov't, ISF under Israel-US deal

Under the emerging Gaza framework, officials say Hamas weapons would be destroyed by the US-led ISF, while reconstruction and changes to Israel's military posture would depend on full disarmament.

Israel and the United States have reached an understanding that, during the initial stage of Hamas's disarmament, weapons handed over by the terrorist organization will be transferred to the ISF, headed by US Maj.-Gen. Jasper Jeffers, for destruction rather than to the proposed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), according to a source who spoke with The Jerusalem Post.

The understanding was reached during a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials from the Board of Peace, which was also attended by senior Israeli security officials, the source said.

The meeting included Shin Bet Director David Zini and Military Intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Shlomi Binder, along with Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs, Caroline Glick, foreign policy adviser Ophir Falk, and National Security Council Director Shmuel Ben-Ezra.

The Board of Peace delegation included senior Trump advisers Jared Kushner, former British prime minister Tony Blair, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and Board of Peace Director-General Nikolay Mladenov, as well as US military officers.

According to officials familiar with the discussions, the sides reached a series of understandings regarding the proposed Gaza framework and the steps expected to begin being implemented.

One of the key understandings concerns the mechanism for Hamas's disarmament.

Hamas disarmament mechanism

The arrangement is intended to provide a verifiable mechanism for removing Hamas's weapons and to prevent them from being transferred to another Palestinian authority without first being destroyed.

The weapons would instead be transferred to the International Stabilization Force headed by Jeffers for destruction during the initial phase of the process.

The Israeli side also made clear that reconstruction in Gaza will not begin until Hamas has been fully disarmed throughout the Strip, according to the officials.

Netanyahu also made clear during the meeting that Israel's targeted operations against Hamas will continue, according to officials familiar with the discussions.

The officials said Israel had not agreed to halt targeted killings and that no decision had been made to withdraw from the current "Yellow Line".

They also rejected reports that Israel had agreed to reduce its military presence in Gaza, saying there would be no reduction in Israeli troop levels as part of the current understandings.

Israel ties reconstruction to full disarmament

The Israeli position was presented despite Hamas's demands for an end to Israeli military activity and amid comments by US President Donald Trump in an interview with Fox earlier Monday.

Israeli officials stressed that Israel would continue to respond to immediate threats and retain the ability to conduct operations against Hamas targets.

The talks also produced an understanding that Hamas must immediately begin demonstrating its commitment to the disarmament process.

According to the officials, if Hamas wants to demonstrate that the proposed process is viable, it must begin handing over weapons now rather than wait for all other elements of the framework to be completed. Hamas has previously rejected a Board of Peace disarmament proposal and sought changes to the plan.

The discussions are part of ongoing US-Israeli efforts to translate the Gaza framework into concrete steps, with Hamas's disarmament remaining the central test of whether the process can move forward.

Israeli officials stressed that while Israel is prepared to advance the process, any significant movement toward reconstruction or changes to its military posture will remain contingent on tangible progress toward the complete dismantling of Hamas's military capabilities.

Later on Monday, President Isaac Herzog also met with Kushner and Mladenov, along with other senior officials from the BoP, and said that "the next steps in Gaza must ensure the security of the State of Israel and its citizens, and bring stability and a better future for all the peoples in the region."

"This is a challenging issue. I was impressed that Israel's security interest is an important and central component of the plan, and I insisted on that. I congratulated the teams on their work and encouraged them to continue working towards a better future for our children," he added.