Netanyahu rejects Trump Gaza plan and rules out pullout until Hamas disarms

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has explicitly repudiated Donald Trump's 15-point Gaza peace plan, vowing at a cabinet meeting that Israeli forces will not carry out any military withdrawal until Hamas is completely disarmed.

Israel rejects the 15-point document, Netanyahu stated during a cabinet session on Sunday, according to reporting compiled by The Guardian and NBC News. The Israeli leader further extinguished prospects for Palestinian sovereignty, declaring that as long as I am Prime Minister, there will be no Palestinian State, as noted by Daijiworld.

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Netanyahu said that Israeli forces are not going anywhere until Hamas completely disarms first.

According to statements from senior Hamas officials, including Basim Naeem, the group expects mediators and the U.S. To exert pressure on Netanyahu.

Over 73,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, according to the enclave’s health officials, including over 1,200 people since the ceasefire began in October. Israel and Hamas both regularly accuse the other of breaching the ceasefire.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu said of the disagreements: “We are currently discussing this issue with the Americans. They have ideas; some of them are acceptable to us and some are not, and we know how to stand firm on these matters.”

The White House did not immediately comment on the remarks.

Political Stakes and Disputed Disarmament Terms

The stark divide over the 15-point document underscores the divergent interpretations of disarmament held by Israel, Washington, and Palestinian factions. While Donald Trump previously touted the roadmap as a major breakthrough and claimed Hamas agreed to lay down arms, NBC News reported that the Board of Peace proposal envisions a phased withdrawal alongside disarmament. In contrast, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted during his cabinet session that Israel demands complete surrender of both heavy and light weapons. We are talking about genuine disarmament, not a fictitious one, Netanyahu stated, according to NBC News and The Guardian, noting that the military will continue thwarting threats until all arms are given up.

According to Daijiworld, the impasse has drawn warnings from a coalition of eight Muslim-majority nations — including the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt — who jointly condemned ongoing military operations. These nations warned that continued hostilities threaten international diplomatic efforts and could derail the implementation of the next step of the US-backed peace plan.

Domestic Pressures and Divergent Disarmament Demands

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is navigating a domestic political battle for survival ahead of elections scheduled for October, according to reporting by NBC News, with the future of the Gaza and Iran conflicts expected to prove pivotal. This political climate underpins his public rejection of the Trump administration's initiative, which contrasts sharply with Donald Trump's earlier claims following a Washington meeting that Israel was supportive of the agreement and "very happy" with the proposed roadmap. Daijiworld noted that an Israeli political source disclosed that the specifics of Gaza were not even discussed during Netanyahu's meeting with Trump, leaving the extent of alignment between the two leaders in serious question.

The core dispute centers on the timing and verification of disarmament. While NBC News reported that the Board of Peace proposal envisions a phased withdrawal of troops alongside disarmament, Netanyahu asserted that Israel requires all heavy and light weapons surrendered upfront. Hamas official Ghazi Hamad stated that the group is prepared to accept a difficult and painful agreement, but insisted that Israel must first halt military operations and fulfill previous ceasefire commitments. According to Daijiworld, Hamas maintains that heavy weapons would only be surrendered later, and only after the establishment of a Palestinian state, a condition explicitly ruled out by Netanyahu for as long as he remains in office.

Senior Hamas official Basim Naeem stated that the group expects mediators and the United States to exert pressure on Netanyahu to abide by the established roadmap and prevent him from obstructing the process for domestic political considerations. Meanwhile, recovery operations concluded at the Karam Building in Gaza after nineteen dead bodies were pulled from the rubble, according to Gaza civil defense reports cited by NBC News. Both Israel and Hamas continue to accuse each other of breaching the existing ceasefire terms.

As international stakeholders attempt to salvage the diplomatic roadmap, the path forward remains dependent on whether mediators can bridge the gap between Israel's absolute security demands and the phased conditions set by Palestinian factions. The immediate test for negotiators centers on managing the competing timetables, as the next step of the US-backed peace plan hangs in the balance amid ongoing military operations and regional warnings.