🔶 Netanyahu: Reconstruction of Gaza will not begin until the complete disarmament of Hamas Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, said that the reconstruction of Gaza will not begin until the complete disarmament of Hamas. In a message on the occasion of the 257th anniversary of the independence of the United States, he also emphasized the alliance between Washington and Tel Aviv, saying: “The tyrants we are dealing with chant the slogan ‘Death to America, Death to Israel.’ They think freedom is weak and democracies are weak, but they are mistaken about our two democracies.” The Israeli prime minister also said, regarding Lebanon, that Israel acts “based on its own considerations”; remarks that have been made amid continued tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. The message comes out while a ceasefire between Israel and Iran remains fragile, and the United States has also paused nuclear negotiations with Tehran for one week, until the end of the mourning ceremony for Ali Khamenei, the former leader of the Islamic Republic.