Reports of a new US-Israel split over Gaza may be politically convenient, but they do not match the central point emerging from this week’s talks: Hamas disarms first. Israel withdraws after. Gaza is rebuilt only once the terror threat is removed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday for four hours with Trump envoy Jared Kushner to discuss President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan. Netanyahu’s firmly reiterated that Israel will not leave Gaza only to watch Hamas rearm, regroup, and return to power.
For Israel, the sequence of implementation is critical.
Israel demands that Hamas fully disarm, and only then will any meaningful IDF withdrawal be carried out. Gaza rehabilitation comes after demilitarization, not before it. Anything else would amount to rebuilding the battlefield for the same terrorist army that launched the Oct. 7 massacre.
Following his marathon meeting with Netanyahu, Kushner told Fox News that Jerusalem and Washington are on the same page in this regard.
“We will not allow Gaza to be rebuilt until demilitarization occurs,” he stated, adding that Washington does not want to rebuild Gaza only to see it taken over again by terrorists or destroyed in another war.
He also made clear that the United States would not restrict Israel’s ability to defend itself against imminent threats. And if Hamas fails to meet its commitments, Kushner said Israel would have American backing to “finish the job in the appropriate way.”
After meeting with Israeli PM Netanyahu on Gaza, Special Envoy Kushner told Fox News:
“We could be seeing progress in as little 30 days, hopefully on starting to take some of the weapons out, and hopefully filling in some of the tunnels as well in the next 60 to 90 days.” pic.twitter.com/RKTyLsUcO1
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) August 17, 2026
In short, the Trump administration agrees with Israel: Gaza cannot move straight into reconstruction while Hamas keeps its weapons, tunnels, and command structure intact.
The alignment of Israel and the Trump administration notwithstanding, many headlines painted a picture of discord, again suggesting that Gaza was driving a wedge between the allies.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee was in the Netanyahu-Kushner meeting, and insisted that reports of tension between the two sides were fake news.
Huckabee described the talks as “intense and thoughtful, but respectful,” and said reports of a US-Israel rift were “invented out of thin air.”
Been reading “insider scoops” on mtgs today w/ @IsraeliPM & US delegation on Gaza. Since I was actually there for HOURS, I can tell you some of these reports are simply fake news. Intense and thoughtful, but respectful. No disagreement on @realDonaldTrump plan to disarm Hamas &…
— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) August 17, 2026
There are still hard questions over enforcement, timing, and verification. Hamas has made promises before. Israel has buried the victims of those promises. Kushner said the US is under no illusions and does not trust Hamas, but is willing to give it a chance.
And that is why the core sequence of implementation is so important. Because Hamas cannot be trust, it must “go first” and lay down its arms before subsequent phases of the plan can commence. On this point, there appears to be no disagreement between Israel and Washington. For now.
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