Media: Israel opposes US-backed mechanism for Gaza

Israeli leaders consider the creation of a special mechanism with the United States to address emerging conflicts in the Gaza Strip and prevent ceasefire violations ineffective, sources told Al-Monitor.

Earlier, Axios reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner had agreed during talks in Jerusalem to establish a joint mechanism. Egypt is also expected to participate in its creation, according to the report.

David Zini, director of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency, and Israeli Military Intelligence chief Shlomi Binder also presented the US delegation with intelligence indicating that Hamas is planning new attacks against Israel.

“Just as it is clear that Hamas will not disarm of its own free will, so it is clear that such mechanisms will not work,” the diplomatic source said. “You can’t deal with emerging threats through mechanisms. Intelligence information comes in quickly and unexpectedly, and the response must be quick and unexpected. Waiting for some future assessment is futile.”

According to the official, Israeli authorities believe threats from Hamas must be addressed with retaliatory strikes against its positions, arguing that such a mechanism would limit Israel’s ability to respond swiftly to Hamas actions.

Nevertheless, Al-Monitor noted that Israeli leaders agreed to the US proposal to establish the mechanism as one of the concessions made during negotiations with Washington.

By Jeyhun Aghazada