Netanyahu rejects Trump’s 15-point Gaza peace plan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Sunday that Israel has rejected the 15-point Gaza peace plan drafted by President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, marking the first explicit Israeli repudiation of the framework since it was announced in late July.

"Israel rejects the 15-point document," Netanyahu said at a weekly cabinet meeting. "The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens."cbsnews+1

Netanyahu stressed that disarmament must be total: "When I say disarm Hamas, that means heavy weapons, less-heavy weapons, all weapons. And we are talking about real disarmament, not fictitious disarmament." He also made clear that Israel was not a party to the draft, which was negotiated separately between Hamas and the Board of Peace. "They sent us a draft. We did not agree to it. It was not our draft. We sent back our comments," he said.firstpost+1

A Widening Gap With Washington

The rejection deepens a rift between Netanyahu and Trump, who on July 30 hailed the plan as a "historic agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and all other groups in Gaza." Under the framework, drafted by Board of Peace high representative Nickolay Mladenov, Israeli forces would withdraw from parts of Gaza as disarmament proceeds, with an International Stabilization Force and a new Palestinian police force assuming security responsibilities.chinadaily+1

Netanyahu acknowledged ongoing discussions with Washington but signaled limited flexibility. "They have ideas, some of which are acceptable to us and some of which are unacceptable to us, and we know how to stand up to these things," he said. He also reiterated that no Palestinian state would be established under his leadership — "not in Gaza and not in the West Bank."scrippsnews+1

The rejection comes as Netanyahu faces pressure from far-right coalition partners ahead of elections at the end of October, with his bloc trailing in polls. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich welcomed the stance, saying "the IDF cannot retreat one millimeter in the Gaza Strip."scrippsnews

Hamas Calls for U.S. Pressure

Hamas responded by saying it remains committed to the roadmap and urged mediators to hold Israel accountable. "We expect the mediators and the American guarantor to pressure Netanyahu and his government to adhere to the roadmap and not obstruct the process for internal political and electoral reasons," Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim said, according to AFP.dw

The dispute centers on sequencing. Israel demands full Hamas disarmament before any withdrawal, while Hamas has conditioned its steps toward disarmament on an Israeli pullback to the "Yellow Line" established under the October 2025 ceasefire and a halt to ongoing strikes. Since that ceasefire took effect, Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,250 people in Gaza, according to Gaza-based health authorities. Israeli forces currently occupy more than half the territory.thejournal+2

U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Brad Cooper visited Israel on Saturday for talks with senior military officials on both Iran and Gaza, underscoring Washington's continued engagement even as Netanyahu pushes back.yenisafak