The Trump administration is working to deliver Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a significant “victory image” in Gaza ahead of Israel’s upcoming elections, according to a report Friday by Israeli political commentator Amit Segal.

Under the emerging arrangement, weapons in Gaza would be handed over to the United States before Israelis head to the polls. Israel, meanwhile, would only carry out a partial withdrawal from Gaza after voting has concluded, allowing Netanyahu to enter Election Day with the disarmament move already underway without having yet implemented the Israeli concession.

The reported effort comes despite tensions between Netanyahu and the White House. According to Segal, Trump administration officials are angry with Netanyahu, while President Donald Trump has refrained for months from publicly endorsing him ahead of the election. Nevertheless, Washington has reportedly accepted most of Israel’s demands regarding Gaza.

Segal also revealed that Jared Kushner has met with senior Hamas officials as the United States works toward an arrangement for Gaza’s future. American officials have defended the direct contacts, noting that similar discussions were held last year as part of efforts that led to the release of 56 hostages.

The Trump administration says its bottom line remains unchanged: Hamas will not remain armed and will not govern Gaza. U.S. officials reportedly view the precise mechanism used to achieve those goals as less important than ensuring they are ultimately accomplished.

The report also revealed that during negotiations for the release of the hostages, a very senior Israeli security official spoke directly by telephone with Hamas leaders. American officials have pointed to that contact in response to criticism in Israel over Washington’s own direct discussions with the terror group.

Israel continues to have concerns about the involvement of Qatar and Turkey in postwar Gaza. Neither country is expected to deploy troops to the Strip, but both are expected to participate in an oversight council tasked in part with monitoring Israel’s compliance with an agreement.

While most Israeli concerns have reportedly been resolved through talks with Washington, one major issue remains: Israeli officials fear that an international body deployed in Gaza could fail to actually disarm Hamas and instead become a buffer between the IDF and the terror group, restricting Israel’s freedom to operate against future threats.

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