Netanyahu says he and Trump differ over Gaza peace agreement

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged disagreements with U.S. President Donald Trump over last week's Board of Peace agreement aimed at stabilising the Gaza Strip.

Speaking after a meeting with Nickolay Mladenov, the lead envoy for Trump's Board of Peace initiative, Netanyahu said Israel's position on the future of Gaza remained unchanged, Al Jazeera reports.

“There are disagreements with President Trump that I don’t hide regarding the recent agreement with Hamas,” Netanyahu said. “Hamas must be disarmed and the Gaza Strip demilitarised before moving to the reconstruction phase.”

Last week, Trump announced that the Board of Peace had reached what he described as a "historic" agreement with Hamas under which the Palestinian group would disarm and Israeli forces would withdraw from the Gaza Strip.

According to the reported agreement, the disarmament of Hamas would take place in phases alongside a gradual Israeli military withdrawal from the enclave.

However, following objections from Israel, the Board of Peace later said Hamas would have to complete its disarmament before Israel withdraws its forces from Gaza.

By Sabina Mammadli