Israel says it has 'serious security concerns' over Hamas disarmament deal

03-Aug-2026

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Israel has shared "serious security concerns" with the White House regarding the proposed disarmament deal with Hamas, an Israeli official said Sunday in what were some of the first public comments since U.S. President Donald Trump announced the agreement.

Doron Spielman, spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister's office, told The Associated Press that Israel's intelligence assessment is that Hamas remains committed to rebuilding its military rather than genuinely demilitarizing. He said the Israeli military would not withdraw from Gaza — where it controls more than 60 per cent of the territory — before Hamas disarms.

"Our assessment is that if we redeploy before Hamas is truly disarmed, it will quickly expand its presence throughout Gaza, rebuild its terrorist infrastructure, once again threaten Israeli communities and seek to carry out another Oct. 7-style attack," he said, referring to the Hamas militant attack on Israel in 2023 that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip.

"Disarming means physically giving up the weapons. Nothing less," Spielman said.