ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Israeli ministers on Sunday reiterated their rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state, vowing to completely demilitarize Gaza and disarm Hamas.

“Israel's policy is clear: a Palestinian state will not be established,” said Defense Minister Israel Katz in a post on X. “Gaza will be demilitarized down to the last tunnel, and Hamas will be disarmed in the Yellow Line by the [Israeli military] and in old Gaza by the international force, or by the [Israeli military].”

The Yellow Line refers to the designated withdrawal boundary for the Israeli military under the first phase of the US-proposed Gaza ceasefire deal. The area contains nearly half of the Gaza Strip’s territory.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also stated that they will not allow the establishment of a “Palestinian terror state.”

“Israel will not agree to the establishment of a Palestinian terror state in the heart of the Land of Israel, at a negligible distance from all its population centers and with topographical control over them,” wrote the minister on X.

In a joint statement on Friday endorsing Washington’s plan to establish an International Stabilization Force in the Gaza Strip, Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, and several Arab states claimed that the process “offers a pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”

The statement was released by the US Department of State and goes beyond the agreed-upon 20-point peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, marking a shift of approach from the American government.

Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed around 70,000 people, most of whom are civilians, according to Gaza's health ministry. The bloodshed has drawn growing international backlash, most recently seen in a torrent of recognition of Palestinian statehood by Western countries.