Netanyahu is Right to Tie Rebuilding of Gaza to Disarming of Hamas, Says U.S. Pro-Israel Group

Jan 28, 2026 by Susan Rosenbluth

NEW YORK – A leading pro-Israel organization has come out strongly in support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s stand against allowing any reconstruction efforts in Gaza until the “disarming of Hamas and demilitarization of Gaza’s weapons and tunnels” is completed.

Israeli officials have long been justifiably concerned about the danger of dual-use items such as cement. On the one hand, cement can be used for innocent purposes, such as home construction, when it is in the hands of a peace-seeking, trustworthy authority. But in the hands of untrustworthy elements—such as the Hamas terrorist regime that has ruled Gaza for two decades—cement has also been used for other purposes, including the construction of terrorist tunnels, Americans for a Safe Israel (AFSI) has stated. This is why no rebuilding can take place as long as Hamas remains.

AFSI’s remarks are in response to Netanyahu’s comments: “I’m hearing even now claims that Gaza’s reconstruction will be allowed before demilitarization—this will not happen.”

“Concrete for the foundation of a building can also be used to make tunnels, as Hamas has demonstrated again and again. Israel is the only country in the world whose next-door neighbors have built dozens of tunnels into its territory to perpetrate massacres of civilians,” stated Moshe Phillips, chairman of Americans for a Safe Israel. “Israel fought previous wars against Hamas and Islamic Jihad before October 7, but that terrorist invasion of Israel only happened because the international community put cement into Hamas’s hands, enabling it to build its sophisticated terror tunnel network. These facts alone should rule out rebuilding Gaza until Hamas is completely out of the picture.”

Moshe Phillips is the National Chairman of Americans For A Safe Israel (www.AFSI.org), a leading pro-Israel advocacy and education organization.