Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a 15-point plan backed by US President Donald Trump to disarm Hamas in Gaza, insisting that Israeli forces will not withdraw from the territory until the Palestinian militant group surrenders its weapons.
Netanyahu’s position represents a rare public disagreement with Trump, despite the close political relationship between the two leaders and Washington’s strong support for Israel throughout the Gaza conflict.
The US-backed proposal reportedly envisages a phased process in which Hamas would hand over its weapons to a new Palestinian administration in Gaza. In return, Israel would gradually withdraw its forces from more than half of the territory currently under its control.
But Netanyahu, speaking at a meeting of Israeli government ministers on Sunday, rejected the proposal in its current form.
“I want to be clear here: Israel is ruling out the 15-point plan,” Netanyahu said, according to a statement issued by his office.
He added that Israel had already conveyed its objections to the Trump administration.
Netanyahu also made Israel’s position on the sequencing of the proposed agreement unequivocal, saying Israeli forces would not withdraw from areas under their control before Hamas had been disarmed.
“Israel is ruling out the 15-point plan,” he reiterated, stressing that there would be no Israeli withdrawal until Hamas surrendered its weapons.
The Israeli position could pose a significant obstacle to the Trump administration’s efforts to establish a political and security framework for the future of Gaza.
The proposed arrangement seeks to link three major developments: the disarmament of Hamas, a phased Israeli military withdrawal and the creation of a new Palestinian administration to govern Gaza.
Netanyahu’s rejection, however, indicates that his government remains unwilling to accept a military withdrawal before Hamas’s weapons and military capabilities have been removed.
The disagreement highlights the complex challenges confronting Washington as it seeks to balance Israel’s security demands with efforts to establish a viable political future for Gaza.
Although Netanyahu and Trump have maintained a close relationship, their governments have not always agreed on the details of how the Gaza conflict should end or how the territory should be governed afterwards.
Trump has strongly backed Israel’s security objectives, while Netanyahu has consistently argued that Hamas must be prevented from retaining the military capacity to threaten Israel.
The latest disagreement underscores a fundamental difference over the order in which key steps should take place.
Under the US-backed proposal, Hamas’s disarmament would form part of a broader phased arrangement that would also involve an Israeli withdrawal and the establishment of a new Palestinian governing structure.
Netanyahu’s government, however, insists that Hamas must first surrender its weapons before Israel makes any significant military withdrawal.
That position could lead to difficult negotiations between Jerusalem and Washington as both sides attempt to determine the conditions for a possible end to Israel’s military presence in Gaza.
For the Trump-backed framework to succeed, Israel and Hamas would ultimately have to reach agreement on the timing and implementation of disarmament, military withdrawal and Gaza’s future administration.
For now, Netanyahu’s outright rejection of the 15-point proposal leaves the initiative facing a major hurdle and underscores the deep political and security complexities surrounding the future of Gaza.
