Netanyahu rejects Trump-backed Gaza peace plan
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected the US-backed 15-point Gaza roadmap, insisting troops will stay until Hamas is fully disarmed, while stressing talks with Washington continue.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israel's Cabinet that the country rejects the 15-point roadmap Hamas agreed to in late July under US mediation. He said the Israeli military would not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is genuinely disarmed of all weapons, heavy and light. Netanyahu called Trump Israel's greatest friend in the White House but said some of his ideas are unacceptable and that Israel knows how to hold its ground.
What the plan proposes
The roadmap, developed by Trump's Board of Peace, envisions Israeli withdrawal running parallel to Hamas surrendering its weapons, after which an International Stabilization Force and a new Palestinian police force would secure Gaza. Hamas avoids the word "disarmament" but says it agreed to hand weapons over for storage under a US-backed Palestinian technocratic administration overseen by the Board of Peace. Hamas official Bassem Naim said he expects mediators and Washington to pressure Netanyahu's government to stick to the roadmap.
Next steps and political backdrop
Board of Peace representative Nickolay Mladenov said Israel faces no obligations until Hamas surrenders all weapons, including assault rifles, but that Israeli troops would eventually withdraw sector by sector once weapons are collected. He called the plan the only way to prevent a repeat of the October 7, 2023 attacks, and said talks with Israel continue.
The dispute comes ahead of Israeli elections on October 27, the first since the Hamas attacks, with Netanyahu running close to or behind rivals in some polls and facing pressure from far-right coalition partners, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who opposes any withdrawal. Since the October 2025 ceasefire, Gaza health officials report more than 1,250 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes, while the Israeli military says five soldiers have died. Most of Gaza's more than two million residents remain displaced, many living in tents or damaged buildings.
