JERUSALEM, August 17. /TASS/. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Board of Peace have agreed to set up two working groups for the Gaza Strip and insist that the enclave’s demilitarization be completed before the start of its reconstruction, the prime minister’s office said after his talks with US president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

"The Prime Minister and Board of Peace had deep and constructive discussions. It was agreed to establish two working groups, one on disarmament and demilitarization of Gaza, which both Israel and the Board of Peace are determined should be prompt and completed before any reconstruction happens in Gaza. A second working group will focus on sanitation, clean water and other public health issues for the people of Gaza and which also impact the people of Israel," it said.

The Ynet news portal reported, citing an Israeli official, that during the meeting with Kushner and representatives of the Board of Peace, Netanyahu insisted that before beginning the restoration of Gaza, Hamas should hand over its weapons to the International Stabilization Force. This step will be carried out under the United States’ supervision, Ynet said.

Dmitri Gendelman, adviser in the Israeli prime minister’s office, told TASS earlier that Netanyahu has received Jared Kushner and Nickolay Mladenov, the Gaza Board of Peace high representative, at his office in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu said on August 9 that Israel rejects the Board’s 15-point plan for the Gaza Strip and will not withdraw its troops from the Palestinian enclave until Hamas is truly disarmed.

In October 2025, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip with the mediation of the United States, Egypt, and Qatar. The initiative consisted of three stages: the first included a halt to hostilities, the release of detained persons, an expansion of humanitarian aid deliveries to the enclave, and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces. The subsequent phases envisaged ending the conflict, withdrawing Israeli forces, and rebuilding the Gaza Strip. However, the parties have been failing to proceed to the second phase of the deal.