Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said reconstruction in Gaza should not begin before the territory is demilitarized and Hamas is disarmed, reaffirming Israel’s position as negotiations over the enclave’s postwar arrangements remain focused on security and governance.
Netanyahu said Gaza’s reconstruction would depend first on dismantling its military capabilities. He also indicated that Israel was discussing the issue with its American counterparts, although the precise form and scope of future reconstruction remained unsettled. The comments underline a key disagreement over the sequence in which disarmament, Israeli withdrawal, governance and rebuilding should proceed. An official Knesset account records Netanyahu saying there would be no reconstruction without Gaza’s demilitarization and Hamas’s disarmament.
The Israeli government has repeatedly placed demilitarization at the center of its proposed end-state for Gaza. In an official statement, Netanyahu outlined five principles that included Hamas being disarmed, Gaza being demilitarized, Israel retaining overriding security responsibilities and the establishment of a civilian administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.
The issue has become increasingly important as efforts move toward the next phase of the U.S.-backed framework for ending the Gaza war. Netanyahu has previously said that the next stage should focus first on Hamas disarmament and the demilitarization of Gaza rather than reconstruction. In January, he told the Knesset that Israel was adhering to those objectives and that they would be achieved “either the easy way, or the hard way.”
The sequencing of reconstruction has nevertheless remained a point of discussion between Israel and the United States. Netanyahu has acknowledged disagreements with Washington over aspects of arrangements for Gaza, while official Israeli statements continue to describe the Trump plan as centered on Hamas disarmament and Gaza’s demilitarization. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has likewise said those objectives are at the heart of the U.S. administration’s comprehensive plan.
For Palestinians, reconstruction is an urgent humanitarian issue after extensive destruction across Gaza. The timing of rebuilding is therefore closely tied to broader questions over who will govern the territory, what security arrangements will apply and whether Israeli forces will withdraw.
Netanyahu’s position could complicate efforts to establish a common timetable for rebuilding if Washington and regional partners favor reconstruction measures proceeding alongside a phased disarmament process. The next developments are expected to center on negotiations over Hamas’s weapons, Gaza’s future administration, Israeli security arrangements and the conditions under which international reconstruction assistance can begin.
