Netanyahu on Trump’s plan: ‘Our army will remain in Gaza’
Following the announcement of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the Israeli army would continue to be deployed in the Gaza Strip in the future.
The Israeli leader confirmed that the army would remain in most areas of Gaza, after giving his approval to the peace plan announced by the U.S. president.
In a statement on Telegram on Tuesday morning, Netanyahu declared: “We will bring back all our hostages, alive and in good health, while the Israeli army will remain in most parts of the Gaza Strip.”
On another note, the Israeli Prime Minister stressed that he had not agreed to the establishment of a Palestinian state during his talks with Trump at the White House.
He said: “No, absolutely not. That was not included in the agreement. We made it very clear that we strongly oppose a Palestinian state.”
Earlier in the day, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right politician, criticized Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.
In a post on the social media platform X, Smotrich described the initiative as a “resounding diplomatic failure” and a “neglect… of all the lessons of the October 7th attack” launched by Hamas against Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza.
He added: “In my view, this too will end in tears. Our children will be forced to fight in Gaza again.”
On Monday, President Donald Trump had presented his plan to end the nearly two-year-long war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which included a framework for rebuilding the territory and a process leading to the possible creation of a Palestinian state.
Trump emphasized that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supported the peace plan, but questions remain over whether Hamas would accept it.
At a joint press conference following his meeting with Netanyahu, Trump stated that the parties were “very close” to reaching a peace agreement for Gaza. However, he warned Hamas that Israel would receive full U.S. support to take any measures it deemed necessary if the group rejected the proposal.
