Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a US-led Gaza peace plan backed by Hamas, marking a fresh disagreement with US President Donald Trump over the future of the conflict.
Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel would not accept the 15-point proposal, which Hamas agreed to in late July.
“Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting, insisting that Israeli forces would not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas was genuinely disarmed.
The Israeli military, he said, would continue operations to protect its forces and citizens.
The rejection puts Netanyahu at odds with Trump, who had described the Gaza agreement as a significant milestone towards peace. Trump’s administration had also sought to address Israel’s concerns by indicating that Israeli forces would only be required to withdraw after Hamas had been completely disarmed.
Netanyahu nevertheless maintained that Israel’s position remained firm.
He described Trump as “our greatest friend in the White House” but said Israel would continue to raise objections over parts of the US-backed proposal.
Political pressure
Netanyahu’s decision comes as he faces pressure from his right-wing political allies ahead of Israel’s October 27 elections.
The Gaza proposal has reportedly faced opposition among Netanyahu’s right-wing base, with far-right members of his cabinet urging him to reject it.
Hamas, meanwhile, has continued to support the plan and called on Washington to pressure Netanyahu and his government to implement it.
Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said the mediators and the US should ensure that Netanyahu does not obstruct the process for political or electoral reasons.
Under the proposed arrangement, Hamas would surrender its weapons to an emerging Palestinian governing body, while Israel would withdraw its forces in stages alongside the disarmament process.
Netanyahu has rejected that sequence, insisting that Israel requires what he called “real disarmament, not fictitious disarmament”.
Gaza operations continue
Egypt, a key mediator in the negotiations, has urged all parties to honour their commitments and avoid actions that could undermine the ceasefire process.
Israeli military operations in Gaza appear to have decreased since the plan was announced, although they have not stopped completely.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose casualty figures are considered reliable by the United Nations, Israeli operations have killed 1,258 Palestinians since the ceasefire.
The Israeli army has reported five deaths among its forces over the same period.
The latest development adds to growing tensions between Netanyahu and Trump over how to bring the Gaza conflict to an end.
