JERUSALEM—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s 15-point Gaza peace plan, saying Israel will not withdraw its forces from the enclave until Hamas is fully disarmed, putting the U.S.-backed roadmap at risk despite Washington’s efforts to keep it moving.
Netanyahu announced the rejection on Aug. 9, opposing a plan developed by Trump’s Board of Peace that envisages phased Israeli withdrawals in exchange for the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups. The proposal also calls for an International Stabilization Force and a new Palestinian security structure to help oversee the transition.
Netanyahu has maintained that Israeli forces must retain their positions until Hamas has surrendered its weapons and military infrastructure. His government has also said Gaza must be demilitarized before reconstruction can proceed.
Hamas has expressed conditional support for the U.S.-backed framework, according to Reuters, while disputing some of the conditions surrounding disarmament and insisting that Israeli military actions and withdrawal form part of the process. The disagreement over the sequencing of those steps has emerged as a central obstacle to implementation.
Despite Netanyahu’s rejection, a Gaza Board of Peace official said on Aug. 10 that the plan remained operative and that discussions over its implementation were continuing. The official said the roadmap was designed to advance through verified commitments rather than require Israel to make irreversible moves based solely on assurances.
The dispute comes as Israel has reduced the scale of its military operations in Gaza under U.S. pressure, although violence has continued. Israeli airstrikes on Aug. 13 killed two Palestinians, according to medics, marking the first reported fatalities in more than a week. Israel said one strike targeted a Hamas commander preparing an attack.
The Trump plan seeks to link the cessation of fighting and Israeli withdrawal with Hamas disarmament, while establishing an internationally backed transitional security and governance arrangement. The United States has said the broader framework remains the basis for efforts to stabilize and rebuild Gaza.
As of Friday, negotiations between Israel, Hamas and the U.S.-led Board of Peace remained focused on the sequencing and verification of disarmament and Israeli withdrawal, with no confirmed agreement resolving Netanyahu’s objections.
