Netanyahu says IDF will not pull back from Gaza until Hamas fully disarmed

In a decisive shift announced on 5 August, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told officials that the Israel Defence Forces will remain on their present Gaza frontlines until the Hamas militant organisation is completely stripped of weapons. The statement throws new doubt on a U.S.–backed draft deal brokered by former President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace and raises the stakes for diplomatic talks that have hinged on a phased Israeli withdrawal.

Netanyahu’s stance comes after the Board of Peace rewrote its own withdrawal language to mirror the prime minister’s demand that “decommissioning” of Hamas weapons precedes any movement of troops beyond the Yellow Line – the demarcation that splits Gaza into Israeli‑controlled and Palestinian‑administered zones. The revision, reported by Middle East Eye, effectively bars a partial pull‑back that the Board had floated only a week earlier.

Why the change matters now

The Board’s original plan linked a “full withdrawal of the IDF” to a step‑by‑step disarmament timetable, offering a path for Israel to retreat to the Yellow Line while Hamas dismantled light weapons, heavy arms and tunnel networks. After meeting Netanyahu, the Board removed the adjective “full” and re‑stated that “withdrawal … will take place only once decommissioning is complete.” This aligns the Board’s position with Israel’s insistence on a total disarmament before any troop movement.

The ceasefire had paused large‑scale Israeli strikes and allowed the release of the remaining hostages taken in the October 7 2023 attack, but it stalled on broader reconstruction and governance issues.

Board of Peace’s back‑track

“Contrary to inaccurate reports, we note that the withdrawal of the IDF beyond the Yellow Line will take place only once decommissioning is complete, as Hamas committed to the mediators. This applies to light weapons, heavy weapons and the tunnels alike,”

Board of Peace statement, via Middle East Eye

The Board’s clarification arrives after senior officials met Netanyahu on Monday. Earlier in the week, the Board’s high representative, Nick Mladenov, had insisted that “withdrawal must move in lockstep with decommissioning.” The sudden shift shows the Board’s willingness to accommodate Israeli pressure, a move that Middle East Eye describes as “caving to Netanyahu.”

Netanyahu, speaking to Mladenov, made clear that Israel “would neither stop attacking Gaza nor pull back from the Yellow Line,” a sentiment echoed in Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom and in a self‑authored X post that read, “This is the start of the hard phase and I have never pretended otherwise.”

"Not much of what we do now is dramatic. It is slow, grinding and technical work."

Benjamin Netanyahu, via his X account

Ground realities in Gaza

Since the ceasefire, the Gaza health ministry—a body run by the Hamas‑led government—has logged at least 1,252 deaths, mainly women and children. The ministry’s figures are regarded by UN agencies and independent experts as generally reliable, though the data do not separate civilian from militant casualties. Israel says its strikes aim at militants involved in the October 7 2023 attack or who “endanger its soldiers.”

Israeli casualties have also risen, with five soldiers killed since the ceasefire began. The humanitarian picture remains dire: more than 2 million Palestinians are displaced, many living in overcrowded tent camps where rodent infestations and outbreaks of chickenpox have been reported.

Regional reverberations

Jordan’s foreign minister has convened an emergency gathering of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers, citing a possible Israeli takeover of the al‑Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The meeting, set for Wednesday, will include representatives from the Arab League, Türkiye, Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan. The concern follows a wave of right‑wing Israeli incursions into the compound, most notably on 23 July when more than 2,000 Jewish religious extremists, led by Israeli minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir, entered the site.

"We warn that tampering with the status quo … could trigger a religious conflict that will reverberate beyond Palestine and Jordan into the whole Muslim world,"

Ayman Safadi, Jordanian foreign minister, via The Guardian

Jordan’s alarm reflects longstanding custodial rights over the site, a “status quo” arrangement that could be jeopardised if Israel pursues a “multi‑faith” policing model, a proposal reportedly discussed by the United States and Israel as early as May 2026.

Timeline of recent developments

• October 2025 – Ceasefire agreement establishes the Yellow Line and calls for Hamas disarmament and Israeli withdrawal.
• July 23 2026 – Over 2,000 Jewish settlers, escorted by Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir, enter al‑Aqsa compound.
• Early August 2026 – Board of Peace initially proposes phased Israeli withdrawal linked to incremental Hamas decommissioning.
• 5 August 2026 – Netanyahu declares IDF will not pull back until Hamas is fully disarmed; Board of Peace revises its language to match this demand.
• 5 August 2026 (later) – Israeli air strike kills two Palestinians in Gaza City’s Sheikh Ajlin neighbourhood.
• Wednesday, 5 August 2026