Israel’s envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, asserted on Friday that Hamas must undergo true demilitarization, emphasizing that superficial measures will remain unacceptable to Israel.
Speaking in an interview on CNN, Danon noted that the ordering of future steps - including troop pullbacks to Gaza's designated "yellow line," disarmament protocols, and the entry of relief supplies - remains open to negotiation.
“Those issues we can discuss and we can resolve … you can build the sequence with the mediators," Danon told CNN.
“The main point is whether Hamas is actually willing to disarm or not. Because if they are playing games and offer cosmetic solutions, it will not work."
Clarifying Israel's expectations, Danon added, “Disarmament means the weapons (are) out of Gaza, they have no control of the weapons, and then we can move forward."
The Ambassador's remarks follow an announcement by US President Donald Trump on Thursday highlighting a landmark accord intended to accomplish the demilitarization of Hamas along with every other terrorist group in Gaza.
In response, high-ranking Hamas representative Ghazi Hamad conveyed to CNN that Israel must prioritize immediate actions. He maintained that Israel needs to implement an immediate ceasefire, halt targeted strikes within Gaza, pull back military forces to the "yellow line," and permit a significant increase in humanitarian assistance as outlined in the October ceasefire terms.
When questioned Friday on whether President Trump should anticipate frustration over Israel's commitment to the proposed roadmap, Danon dismissed the idea.
“Absolutely not. President Trump and the administration, they saw what happened on the ground," said the Ambassador, who added, “We complied with the agreement so far. We did everything that we had to do. It was Hamas who was playing a game about disarmament."
Trump insisted on Friday that Israel is “very happy" about the Hamas disarmament deal.
Asked during a cabinet meeting whether the US has received any assurances from Israel that it will abide by the deal, Trump replied, “We do have an understanding with Israel."
“Israel is very happy about it. Israel helped us, and they’ve been very good," Trump stated, adding, “Most people said that would be a deal that would be undoable. Will it go through its ups and downs? It’s a very complex situation over there… But it’s a great breakthrough. Nobody’s ever thought that it would be be possible to disarm Hamas."
A senior Israeli diplomatic official stressed on Thursday that the issue of Gaza did not come up at all during the meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump in Washington this week.
The official stressed, “Israel is demanding the complete disarmament of Hamas, including the removal of all weapons from the Gaza Strip and the territory's full demilitarization, as a precondition for any process. The reported 15-point document does not provide an adequate response to these demands, and Israel has conveyed its reservations on the matter to envoy Tony Blair."
He added, “There will be no Israeli withdrawal from the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip before Hamas is disarmed and the Strip is fully demilitarized."
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)