JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected US President Donald Trump’s 15 point plan for Gaza, saying Israeli forces will not withdraw until Hamas is fully and genuinely disarmed.
“Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting on Sunday. He said the Israeli military would continue operations to protect its troops and citizens and would not begin a withdrawal until Hamas had surrendered its weapons.
The plan, promoted by Trump’s Board of Peace, was presented as a possible path towards a lasting ceasefire and the reconstruction of Gaza. It includes the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the creation of an international body to oversee its implementation, according to BBC News.
Hamas has said it is prepared to engage seriously with the agreement. However, the group insists that handing over its heavy weapons must be linked to an end to Israeli attacks and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
The two sides remain divided over a central question: which step should come first. Israel says Hamas must disarm before its forces leave, while Hamas says Israel must halt its military campaign and begin withdrawing before it gives up its weapons.
Netanyahu described any symbolic or incomplete disarmament as unacceptable. He said Hamas must carry out “real” disarmament rather than what he called “fictitious disarmament”. He added that Israeli and US officials were discussing possible ways to move forward, but that some of Washington’s ideas were acceptable to Israel and others were not.
The rejection is another serious setback for Trump’s Gaza initiative, which the US president had presented as a major step towards peace and security. It also places Netanyahu under pressure from both Washington and members of his right wing coalition, who oppose concessions to Hamas.
The war began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Nearly 1.9 million people; about 90 percent of Gaza’s population, have since been displaced, according to the United Nations.
The latest dispute leaves the peace plan standing on fragile ground, with each side demanding that the other make the first move.
