by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that U.S. President Donald Trump has been “unequivocal” that Hamas must fully disarm as a non-negotiable condition for advancing Trump’s proposed 20-point peace plan.
“This is a necessary and fundamental condition for the implementation of his 20-point plan. He made no concessions on this and showed no flexibility on this matter,” Netanyahu told reporters ahead of the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu said his recent visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida strengthened both the bilateral relationship between Israel and the United States and the personal bond between the two leaders. During that visit, Trump warned that Hamas would be given only a “very short period of time” to demilitarize or face severe consequences, while expressing a desire to move to the next phase of negotiations “as quickly as we can.”
Speaking to Fox News last week, Netanyahu said progress toward stabilizing Gaza in 2026 hinges entirely on Hamas laying down its weapons. He described the terrorist group’s refusal to disarm as the central obstacle to any political future for the territory.
“If we disarm Hamas, whether with an international force or by any other means, a different future for Gaza is possible,” Netanyahu said. “If it can be done the easy way, fine. And if not, it’ll be done another way.”
According to Netanyahu, Hamas still fields roughly 20,000 operatives and possesses around 60,000 rifles, in addition to an extensive underground tunnel network stretching hundreds of kilometers beneath Gaza. “That’s what disarmament means,” he said. “You take away the rifles and you dismantle the terror tunnels.”
Hamas leadership has repeatedly rejected such demands. Senior Hamas figure Khaled Mashaal reiterated last month that the group would never surrender its weapons, declaring at an anti-Israel summit in Turkey that “the resistance and its weapons are the honor and pride of the ummah.”
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces said Saturday it carried out a precise strike on a Hamas tunnel shaft in northern Gaza containing a rocket launcher aimed at the Israeli city of Sderot, calling the incident a “blatant” violation of the ceasefire.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry also accused Hamas of daily ceasefire violations, citing the group’s continued refusal to return the remains of Israel Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last remaining hostage from the Oct. 7 massacre. Hamas was obligated under the ceasefire agreement to return all hostage remains by Oct. 13.
Israeli media reports indicate that Israel and the United States have reached an understanding to issue Hamas a firm two-month ultimatum to fully disarm. The deadline is being described as fixed rather than a basis for further negotiations, with Israeli and U.S. teams already working to define what constitutes “practical disarmament.” A key component of the plan is the complete dismantling of Hamas’s tunnel network, long considered the backbone of its military capabilities.
Israeli officials quoted by Israel Hayom expressed deep skepticism that Hamas would willingly relinquish its weapons within the allotted timeframe, noting that for the group’s leadership, full disarmament would effectively mark the end of Hamas rule in Gaza — precisely the outcome envisioned by the U.S.-Israeli plan.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Russia and the United States edged closer to confrontation after U.S. forces seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic, prompting sharp protests from Moscow and assertive statements from senior U.S. officials. Russian state broadcaster RT released grainy images showing a helicopter approaching the tanker, while Reuters, citing U.S. officials, confirmed that American forces boarded and seized the vessel under a U.S. court warrant linked to sanctions enforcement. The tanker, identified as the Marinera (also known as Bella 1), had been traveling from Iran toward Venezuela … Read more
At least 11 Christians were killed and 18 others seriously wounded when a drone operated by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) struck civilians traveling to Christmas celebrations in South Kordofan state on Dec. 25, according to local sources.
A Christian pastor was seriously injured after being attacked by a group of Muslim assailants wielding sharp objects in eastern Uganda, according to an exclusive report by Morning Star News.
Iranian security forces confronted large demonstrations at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar on Tuesday with tear gas and a heavy police presence, as nationwide protests entered a second week and the country’s currency plunged to a historic low.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers during a closed briefing Monday that recent White House rhetoric about Greenland does not signal an imminent U.S. invasion, emphasizing instead that the administration’s preferred goal is to purchase the island from Denmark, according to people familiar with the discussion.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Tuesday that a federal crime crackdown in the nation’s capital has led to dramatic reductions in violent crime, crediting the effort to President Donald Trump’s public safety initiative.
Israel, Syria and the United States have agreed to establish a new “joint fusion mechanism” aimed at enhancing security coordination, intelligence sharing and military de-escalation, marking the most significant formal cooperation between Jerusalem and Damascus in decades.