Hebrew media outlets have revealed an agreement between the head of the Israeli occupation government, Benjamin Netanyahu, and US President Donald Trump to begin the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza within areas that remain under occupation control.
Channel 12 quoted sources as saying that one indication of this agreement is the start of reconstruction in the Rafah area before the disarmament of Hamas.
It added that this is expected to take place in areas controlled by the Israeli army inside the so-called yellow line, where most of what it described as terrorist infrastructure has been cleared, according to the channel.
The yellow line refers to the line to which the Israeli army withdrew as part of implementing the first phase of President Trump’s plan to end the war on Gaza, and it constitutes more than half of the Gaza Strip’s area.
The channel explained that the Americans, particularly Trump’s advisers, are pressuring Netanyahu to open the Rafah crossing in both directions, and possibly to implement additional steps so that Trump can demonstrate the desired progress in Gaza.
It also quoted a senior Israeli official as saying that President Trump was not prepared to link the transition to the second phase to the return of the body of the Israeli captive in Gaza, Ran Gweili.
The channel indicated that there is no understanding between Netanyahu and Trump regarding the duration of Hamas’s disarmament, nor regarding the mechanism and timeframe for dismantling Hamas.
Another Israeli official stated that at this stage, when nothing is clear in Gaza, neither the international force nor the identity of a technocratic government, any side simply had an interest in highlighting disagreements.
The second phase of the Gaza agreement includes provisions such as the disarmament of Hamas, the withdrawal of the occupation from the Strip, the formation of a technocratic government, and the deployment of an international stabilisation force.
In contrast, the newspaper Israel Hayom said that Netanyahu and Trump set a two-month period for Hamas to disarm.
It added that teams from both countries are working on establishing clear and mutually agreed standards for the practical meaning of Hamas’s disarmament.
It further stated that it was agreed that the disarmament of Hamas and the Gaza Strip includes the destruction of tunnels, and that if Hamas does not proceed with disarmament as expected, the decision will be in the hands of Israel and its army.
Meanwhile, the private Channel 13 reported that Netanyahu told Trump during the meeting that Hamas possesses around 60,000 Kalashnikov rifles, adding that he told the US president that if the weapons are not collected, it will not be possible to move forward to the second phase.
The channel continued that, alongside statements about mutual commitment and friendship between Netanyahu and Trump, there are also gaps, primarily regarding the reconstruction of Gaza and the transition to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, as well as over Turkey’s status in the region and how to deal with Iran.
On Monday, Netanyahu met with Trump at the Mar-a-Lago resort in the US state of Florida, in a meeting that discussed several files, including the situation in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran.
On 10 October of last year, the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza entered into force, while Israel continues to violate its terms and delay the transition to the second phase.
In October 2023, Israel began a genocidal campaign in Gaza that lasted two years, resulting in more than 71,000 Palestinian martyrs and 171,000 wounded, alongside massive destruction affecting 90% of civilian infrastructure. The United Nations estimated reconstruction costs at around 70 billion dollars.
