Amid efforts by the US and the Board of Peace to get Israel to halt strikes in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli official said Monday that Israel “will continue to thwart any threat to our civilians and soldiers.”
The official also reiterated that Israel will not pull troops back from the “current line” — meaning the additional territory it has taken since an October ceasefire agreement went into effect.
Israel has continued expanding its control of Gaza, cramming its population into a shrinking area of land.
Israeli strikes have killed at least 28 people in Gaza since early Friday local time when US President Donald Trump announced a deal to disarm Hamas, according to Palestinian health authorities.
In a joint statement Monday in their capacity as mediators, Qatar, Turkey and Egypt condemned “continuing Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip” that they said have killed numerous civilians, and they called on the international community to “exert the necessary pressure on Israel” to comply with the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas has said it will follow through with the deal only if Israel halts strikes in Gaza and pulls troops back to the “yellow line,” as defined by the October ceasefire agreement.
Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s high representative, arrived in Israel on Monday to discuss the implementation of the Hamas disarmament agreement.
The Board of Peace said in a statement that the meeting was “constructive and detailed.”
“Contrary to inaccurate reports, we note that the full withdrawal of the IDF beyond the Yellow Line will take place only once decommissioning is complete, as Hamas committed to the mediators,” the board said. “This applies to light weapons, heavy weapons, and the tunnels alike.”
This post has been updated with new information.
