Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hosts a bilateral exchange with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Feb. 5, 2025. (DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Madelyn Keech)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Hamas must be dismantled before any reconstruction can begin in Gaza. He added that Palestinians can just leave.
“There will be no reconstruction in Gaza without dismantling and demilitarizing the Strip,” Netanyahu said on Sunday. “Gazans should have freedom of choice: Whoever wants to leave should be able to do so, and whoever stays cannot threaten us.”
In October, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the US. While Hamas returned the remaining Israeli captives, Tel Aviv is refusing to comply with the deal.
Under the deal, Israel agreed to end attacks, slowly withdraw its forces, and allow enough aid into the Strip to provide basic services to Palestinians. However, Israel has killed over 1,000 Palestinians, increased its control over Gaza, and restricted aid deliveries.
Israel and the US have additionally amended the agreement to require Hamas to disarm and disband before Tel Aviv is required to withdraw. Under the deal, Hamas said it would only disarm as part of the creation of an independent Palestinian state. Netanyahu says Tel Aviv will never allow for a two-state solution.
Tel Aviv is attempting to push Palestinians out of Gaza. Since the signing of the ceasefire, the IDF has increased its control over Gaza from 50% to 70%. Israeli officials are presenting their ethnic cleansing campaign in Gaza as a humanitarian act by allowing Palestinians “free movement.”
