Netanyahu Rejects Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan, Insists No Israeli Withdrawal Until Hamas Is Fully Disarmed
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected the United States’ 15-point peace plan for Gaza, declaring that Israeli forces will not withdraw from the territory until Hamas is completely disarmed. The announcement marks a significant break with President Donald Trump and his Board of Peace just months before Israel’s October 27 elections. “Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting on Sunday. The Israeli military “will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens,” he added.
The plan, announced by Trump’s Board of Peace in late July, was described by the US president as a “major milestone” towards ending the war in Gaza. The proposal includes complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory, transition to governance by a new Palestinian administration called the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), deployment of an International Stabilisation Force to work alongside Palestinian police, and reconstruction of Gaza under the oversight of the Board of Peace. Netanyahu, however, has made clear that the sequencing is unacceptable to Israel. While the plan originally suggested Israel would begin pulling out forces in tandem with disarmament, the Board of Peace later backtracked after meeting Netanyahu, saying withdrawal would only occur after “complete” disarmament. Even this was apparently not enough for the Israeli leader.
Netanyahu insisted that Israel would only accept “genuine disarmament” of Hamas. “When I say Hamas is disarmed, that means the heavy weapons, the less heavy weapons, all the weapons,” he said. “We are talking about real disarmament, not fictitious disarmament,” Netanyahu emphasised, adding that Israel was raising its objections with the United States. “They have ideas; some of them are acceptable to us and some are not, and we know how to stand our ground on these matters,” he said.
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The Israeli prime minister used the occasion to reiterate his long-standing opposition to Palestinian statehood. “As long as I am prime minister, no Palestinian state will be established—not in Gaza and not in the West Bank,” he said. He added: “Neither ‘Fatahstan’ nor ‘Hamastan’.” This broad declaration suggests that the disagreement is not just about military tactics in Gaza but also about the fundamental political framework for the future of the territories.
Despite describing Trump as “our greatest friend in the White House,” Netanyahu made clear he was willing to challenge the US president. The rejection comes after more than a week of gradually escalating criticism of the plan. Netanyahu until recently campaigned on the strength of his relationship with Trump, who since his first term has taken unprecedented steps to back Israel. However, the two leaders have diverged on key issues, including Trump’s pursuit of a ceasefire with Iran in April.
Hamas, which announced days earlier it supported the plan, has linked disarmament to Israeli actions. The group said it would only implement the disarmament deal if Israel halted strikes in Gaza and pulled its troops back to the “yellow line” as defined by the October 2025 ceasefire agreement. Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, called on the United States to “pressure Netanyahu and his government to adhere to the roadmap and not obstruct the process for internal political and electoral reasons.” This highlights the fundamental impasse: Israel demands disarmament before withdrawal, while Hamas insists withdrawal must precede or accompany disarmament.
Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Gaza since agreeing to the initial ceasefire last October. The Board of Peace’s lead envoy for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, urged Netanyahu to stop attacks on Gaza during a meeting last week. However, Israel has steadfastly refused to do so. According to reports, Israeli forces have killed more than 1,200 Palestinians since the October ceasefire took effect, including dozens after the disarmament deal was announced. This ongoing violence has further complicated efforts to reach a lasting peace agreement.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, is running even or trailing in some polls ahead of the October 27 elections. The Gaza plan is widely unpopular with his right-wing base and far-right members of his cabinet. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir dismissed the draft as “not acceptable” and called for a new cabinet vote to end the Gaza plan. The political pressure may explain Netanyahu’s firm rejection of US-backed proposals that could alienate his core supporters, as he seeks to maintain his coalition ahead of the critical elections.
The rejection leaves the future of Trump’s Gaza peace plan in serious doubt. The plan, which was unveiled in September 2025, was intended to provide a comprehensive framework including disarmament, Israeli withdrawal, and reconstruction. The Board of Peace has already begun establishing itself on the ground, with Mladenov appointed as High Representative for Gaza and Palestinian technocrats assembled to lead the NCAG. However, without Israeli cooperation, the plan’s implementation appears highly uncertain. The core dispute over sequencing remains unresolved: Israel demands disarmament before withdrawal, while Hamas insists withdrawal must precede or accompany disarmament. With Netanyahu facing electoral pressure and Hamas seeking assurances of an end to Israeli strikes, the path to peace remains as elusive as ever.