Netanyahu Defies Trump Over Gaza Peace Plan: Israeli PM Rejects 15-Point Deal and Demands Hamas Disarm First

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected Donald Trump's 15-point Gaza peace plan, declaring that Israeli forces will not withdraw from the enclave until Hamas is 'genuinely' disarmed, in the clearest policy clash so far between the two allies over how and when the war should end.

Speaking at his weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on Sunday, Netanyahu said he opposed the framework in full. 'Israel rejects the 15-point document,' he said, adding that the Israel Defense Forces 'will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens.'

In televised remarks, he clarified: 'I mean the heavy weapons, the less heavy weapons, all the weapons. And we are talking about real disarmament, not fictitious disarmament.' He also restated that, as long as he is prime minister, there would be no Palestinian state in Gaza or the West Bank, and Iran would not be allowed nuclear weapons.

Trump Plan Stalls as Sides Disagree on Who Moves First

Trump's so-called Board of Peace announced last month that it had reached agreement with Hamas for the 'complete disarmament' of the group and other armed factions in Gaza. The framework, unveiled nearly a year after Trump first set out his Gaza plan, envisaged Hamas handing over its weapons to a new Palestinian administration, Israeli troops gradually pulling back, and international donors moving in to rebuild Gaza.

Hamas, however, said any surrender of heavy weapons would only begin once Israel ended 'all forms of aggression' and withdrew its forces. The result is a critical impasse: Hamas insists on withdrawal before disarmament; Israel insists on disarmament before withdrawal – neither is willing to move first.

Hamas remains publicly committed to the deal. A senior official said the group 'reaffirms its commitment' to the 15-point agreement and is ready 'to engage seriously and responsibly in implementing' it, while another senior figure, Basem Naim, said Hamas expects US mediators to 'press Netanyahu and his government to adhere to the roadmap.'

Israeli analysts cited by local media have expressed scepticism that Hamas would ever fully surrender its arsenal.

Election Pressures Harden Netanyahu's Position

Netanyahu's stance is shaped as much by domestic politics as by the battlefield, with Israeli elections only months away and pressure mounting from his right-wing and far-right coalition partners to show no flexibility on Gaza. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has already dismissed the draft plan as 'not acceptable' and urged a cabinet vote to formally bury it.

Netanyahu told ministers he was 'talking to the Americans about this issue,' saying: 'They have ideas; some of them are acceptable to us and some are not, and we know how to stand our ground on these matters.' The White House has yet to publicly respond to the Israeli rejection.

The Human Toll and a Plan Running Out of Time

The human cost of the conflict remains severe. According to UN figures, about 1.9 million people, roughly 90 per cent of Gaza's population, have been displaced since the war began following Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage.

Israel's military campaign in response has killed more than 73,000 people in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry, whose data is regarded as broadly reliable by the UN. Palestinian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have said more than 1,250 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the initial ceasefire last October alone.

Israel has scaled back some attacks following a meeting between Netanyahu and the Board's Gaza envoy, Nikolay Mladenov, who criticised recent strikes that killed civilians and destroyed medical supplies. But Israeli forces continue operations in the strip, and the 15-point plan's original 14-day timetable for a full agreement is already looming, with Israel and Hamas still arguing over who disarms or withdraws first.