Ofir Akunis said that Israel will insist upon the demilitarization of Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas, which are conditions in the second part of the US-brokered Gaza deal.

In the next several months, several countries may join the Abraham Accords, Consul General of Israel in New York, Ofir Akunis, said on Sunday during a meeting with Israeli mayors and council heads at the Jewish National Fund-USA’s “Global Conference for Israel” in Hollywood, California. 

However, Akunis warned, at the same time, Hamas and Hezbollah are rehabilitating.

“In the coming months, we expect positive announcements from countries in our region and even from more distant ones, who will join the Abraham Accords,” he said, describing the possibility as an enormous economic opportunity for Israel. 

US President Donald Trump told Time Magazine last week that Saudi Arabia would “lead the way toward the Abraham Accords.”

US Vice President JD Vance said that “expanding the Abraham Accords will allow for [regional] stability that will hopefully last,” while at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on Wednesday. 

Israel and the US have the “difficult tasks ahead,” of disarming Hamas and ensuring it no longer poses a threat to Israel while also rebuilding Gaza, the vice president stressed. 

“I think we’ve had a lot of good conversations with our friends in the Israeli government, but also with our friends in the Arab world who are stepping up and volunteering to play a very positive role in this. So we’re going to keep working at it.”

Hamas, Hezbollah rebuilding, rearming

Akunis continued that on “the flip side of progress towards normalization is the significant armament of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the presence of armed Hamas operatives in the Gaza Strip.” 

He added that Israel will insist upon the demilitarization of Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas, which are conditions in the second part of the US-brokered Gaza deal.

Hamas intends to maintain security control in Gaza during an interim period, a senior Hamas official told Reuters last week, adding he could not commit to the group disarming – positions that reflect the difficulties facing US plans to secure an end to the war.

Since the US-brokered Gaza deal, Hamas has been amping up public executions and beatings and has targeted opposing clans in Gaza.

The Palestinian terror group has also reportedly resumed recruiting, re-arming, and reorganizing, The Telegraph reported on Saturday, citing interviews with security experts on the ground and open source data.

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