Tel Aviv [Israel], August 4: Israel remains opposed to withdrawing its troops from the Gaza Strip and halting attacks in the Palestinian territory, a senior government official said on Monday.
"Israel will not withdraw from its current position in the Gaza Strip and will continue to thwart any threat to our citizens and soldiers," he said.
It comes after US President Donald Trump announced last week that an agreement has been reached to disarm Palestinian group Hamas. Under a roadmap published by the Trump-backed Board of Peace, Hamas would hand over its weapons to a Palestinian transitional administration.
However, Hamas has stressed that the implementation of the plan was dependent on a halt of Israeli military operations in Gaza. The group also said it would only hand over heavy weapons if Israeli forces fully withdraw from the coastal territory and a Palestinian state is established.
Nickolay Mladenov, the Board's high representative for Gaza, recently criticized the killing of civilians in recent Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.
Under the Board's roadmap, Israel, Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip are to cease hostilities.
Subsequently, a Palestinian transitional administration, supported by an international stabilization force, is to take responsibility for administration and security in the Gaza Strip.
Heavy weapons are to be stored, arms depots and production facilities shut down, and tunnels rendered inoperable. The process is to be monitored internationally and implemented in stages. At the same time, the Israeli military is to gradually withdraw from Gaza.
Israel has stressed that it won't pull its troops from Gaza unless Hamas is fully disarmed, rejecting the storage of weapons in the territory.
Source: Qatar Tribune
