Netanyahu rebuffs Trump Gaza plan as envoys press Israel to halt strikes

More than three days after President Donald Trump announced what he called a "historic" agreement to disarm Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to publicly endorse the framework, instead conveying objections to Washington while Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 people in Gaza over the weekend — the deadliest toll in weeks.cnn+1

Netanyahu's office on Monday declared that the publicly released version of the deal "does not reflect Israel's positions," marking the clearest sign yet of a rift between the two allies over the path forward in Gaza.al-monitor+1

A Widening Gap With Washington

Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for Netanyahu's office, told the Associated Press that Israel had shared "serious security concerns" with the White House, arguing that intelligence assessments show Hamas remains committed to rebuilding its military rather than disarming.klcc

"Our assessment is that if we redeploy before Hamas is truly disarmed, it will quickly expand its presence throughout Gaza, rebuild its terrorist infrastructure, once again threaten Israeli communities, and seek to carry out another Oct. 7-style attack," Spielman said.thehill+1

Trump's 20-point plan envisions Hamas surrendering weapons in phases to a U.S.-backed technocratic committee, with Israeli forces withdrawing as disarmament proceeds. Hamas agreed to the framework last Thursday, but conditioned compliance on Israeli withdrawal from territory it has seized beyond the October 2025 ceasefire lines.al-monitor+1

Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's top envoy, arrived in Israel on Monday and met with Netanyahu in what was described as a "constructive and detailed" session. A source familiar with the meeting said the envoys pressed Netanyahu to halt strikes. An Israeli official responded afterward that "Israel will not withdraw from the current line in the Gaza Strip."washingtonexaminer+1

Coalition Pressure From the Right

Netanyahu's silence has not been matched by his far-right coalition partners. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlements Minister Orit Strock sent a formal letter Monday demanding the prime minister reconvene the security cabinet to block entry of the International Stabilization Force into Gaza — a deployment the same cabinet approved just last week.timesofisrael+1

The ministers argued the Board of Peace roadmap "is dangerous to Israel," warning it would transfer weapons to a new Arab governing body rather than destroying them, and that it openly presents Palestinian statehood as a diplomatic objective. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir echoed the opposition, declaring that "only the State of Israel can destroy Hamas."israelhayom+1

A lawmaker from Netanyahu's own Likud party, Amit Halevi, dismissed the agreement entirely: "You can wrap tomorrow's fish with this agreement; it has no meaning. Not a single soldier will move from Beit Hanoun or Khan Younis."cnn

Election Calculations

With Israeli elections looming in October, analysts say Netanyahu is unlikely to accept withdrawal terms before the vote. Michael Milstein, a former senior official in Israeli military intelligence now at Tel Aviv University, said the prime minister is expected to pursue delay rather than outright rejection.cnn

One source familiar with Netanyahu's thinking told CNN that the prime minister is "highly skeptical that Hamas intends to disarm and believes instead that the group is using the framework to buy time," hoping that Hamas noncompliance would eventually grant Israel "legitimacy for renewed military action."cnn

A senior U.S. administration official said last week that Trump would be "very, very disappointed" if Israel did not comply. A diplomatic source summed up the standoff: "The only party that can move him, or stop him, is the United States."cnn