Standing at the Knesset rostrum on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shrugged off any concerns that control over the future of Gaza might be slipping from Israel’s grasp.
Days earlier, the White House had announced that it was moving ahead with the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, and invitations were zooming around the world for the Board of Peace and Gaza Executive Board, which will oversee the Strip’s transition away from Hamas rule and the disarmament of the terror group.
“What is phase two?” Netanyahu asked rhetorically. “Phase two says something simple — Hamas will be disarmed, and Gaza will be demilitarized.”
“We are sticking to those goals, and they will be achieved,” he pledged, “either the easy way, or the hard way.”
Among those slated to sit on the Gaza Executive Board, which looks to be a decisive body determining what happens moving forward in the war-torn Strip, are Israel’s regional rivals and close Trump friends Turkey and Qatar.
On Saturday night, Netanyahu’s office publicly condemned the inclusion of Ankara and Doha.
Read the full article at the Times of Israel.
Published originally on January 20, 2026.
