Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected Trump Gaza plan terms, saying Israel will not pull Israeli forces out of Gaza until Hamas is genuinely disarmed. The Israeli prime minister made the position clear at a cabinet meeting on Sunday, setting up another clash over the future of the ceasefire framework backed by President Donald Trump.
Netanyahu said Israel rejects the 15-point document and insisted the military will not withdraw until Hamas is truly disarmed. He said Israeli forces will keep acting against threats to troops and civilians. His remarks came after Trump’s Board of Peace said last month it had reached an agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. Hamas, however, has said giving up its heavy weapons depends on Israel ending all forms of aggression and removing its troops from Gaza.
A Hamas official told the BBC on Sunday that the group reaffirms its commitment to the agreement and is ready to engage seriously and responsibly in carrying out the 15-point plan. The official also urged mediators to make sure all sides follow what has been agreed. Netanyahu, for his part, argued that any surrender of weapons has to be real, not fictitious, and said Israel was speaking with US officials about how to move forward. He said some ideas from Washington were acceptable to Israel and others were not.
The dispute sits inside a broader peace effort that Trump announced in September last year. That plan called for a Board of Peace to oversee implementation, Hamas disarmament, an Israeli troop withdrawal, and reconstruction in Gaza. Trump described the latest Hamas agreement as a monumental step toward lasting peace and security, saying Hamas had agreed for the first time to disarm if Israel withdrew its forces. Netanyahu’s comments on Sunday made clear that his government does not accept that sequence.
