The Israeli defense establishment and military are growing increasingly critical of how the U.S.-led program for the future of the Gaza Strip is developing, sources say.
Senior officials in the IDF say they worry that the optimistic declarations coming out of Washington mask a security regime that lacks enforcement mechanisms, fails to provide answers to key issues such as who will disarm Hamas and control the Strip, and how the IDF will protect Gaza border communities.
According to sources within the security establishment, there is a substantial gap between the vision being laid out by U.S. President Donald Trump’s team for a “New Gaza,” which would include civilian infrastructure development and multi-story buildings, and security understandings that have been presented to the IDF.
“These plans don’t square with the IDF’s new defense doctrine,” one security source familiar with the plans told Haaretz. “They plan to build multistory towers in New Gaza, from which Israel’s Gaza border communities and IDF bases can be observed – and that is something unthinkable from a security perspective. It will create a direct threat to the border communities and troops there.”
The IDF is maintaining that Hamas must disarm in approximately two months, according to the cease-fire agreements.