Tensions rising between Israel and Trump administration over Gaza disarmament – report

At the center of the dispute is Israel’s insistence that any Gaza arrangement must include the complete disarmament of Hamas.

By World Israel News Staff

As Israel prepares for the implementation of the second phase of the Gaza framework and ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to Washington, political tensions are reportedly mounting between Jerusalem and the Trump administration.

According to a report by Israel’s Channel 14, senior Israeli officials are expressing growing frustration with the conduct of President Donald Trump’s top advisers, particularly Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner.

Recent discussions with the White House are being described by officials as “complex,” a term sources familiar with the talks say significantly understates the depth of the disagreements now emerging.

At the center of the dispute is Israel’s insistence that any Gaza arrangement must include the complete disarmament of Hamas. Israeli officials fear that key advisers around Trump, especially Witkoff, are attempting to steer the president toward diluting that requirement.

In recent weeks, proposals circulating in diplomatic channels have included what Israeli officials dismiss as cosmetic measures, such as Hamas surrendering only heavy weapons while retaining small arms, or transferring weapons to Palestinian Authority-controlled depots.

Israeli leaders have rejected those ideas outright. According to the report, the political echelon has made clear that such scenarios “will not happen,” stressing that the Trump framework explicitly requires full demilitarization “to the very end,” without loopholes or evasions.

Against this backdrop, Israeli officials are increasingly concluding that a large-scale IDF operation may be unavoidable in the coming months to dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities.

The assessment in Jerusalem is that Israel itself may ultimately be forced to carry out the disarmament, as plans for an international stabilization force have stalled and no external actor currently appears willing or able to enforce demilitarization on the ground in Gaza.

Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Trump on Dec. 29 to discuss the next steps of the ceasefire, including future phases and the proposed international stabilization force, according to an Israeli government spokesperson. The meeting is expected to focus on how, and whether, the core requirement of dismantling Hamas can be implemented.

Signs of strain have surfaced publicly in recent days.

Earlier this week, Axios reported that senior Trump administration officials privately reprimanded Netanyahu following Israel’s targeted killing of senior Hamas commander Ra’ad Sa’ad, who the IDF said was overseeing Hamas efforts to rearm and rebuild its military infrastructure.

According to the report, Witkoff, Kushner, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were angered both by the strike and by Israel’s reluctance to move forward with the second phase of the deal.

Trump publicly downplayed claims of a rift, saying the United States maintains “a very good relationship with Israel,” while acknowledging that Washington is examining whether the strike violated the ceasefire.

“We are looking into that,” he said, while expressing optimism that the second phase could move forward and that some countries may be willing to deploy forces to Gaza.

Despite those assurances, the Channel 14 report reflects a deepening concern in Jerusalem that critical elements of the ceasefire framework, particularly Hamas’s full disarmament, are at risk of being eroded.

Israeli officials insist that without decisive enforcement, Hamas will remain armed, entrenched, and poised to resume attacks, a reality they say Israel cannot accept.