Hadar Goldin, Oron Shaul, Avera Mengistu, and Hisham al-Sayed
During the August 27, 2021, meeting in Washington between Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, President Joe Biden, and senior U.S. officials, among the subjects discussed were Israel’s preconditions for the reconstruction of Gaza.
Prime Minister Bennett stressed Israel’s requirement that, prior to any reconstruction of Gaza, there be an immediate commitment by Hamas to an effective termination of rocket fire against Israel, as well as an end to the stockpiling of rockets by Hamas.
The prime minister also stressed the additional and central Israeli requirement for progress on a deal to return two Israeli citizens and the bodies of two IDF soldiers held as hostages in Gaza by Hamas and its associated terror organizations.