Despite intense negotiations, a United States-backed strategy to halt the ongoing conflict in Gaza encounters resistance as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismisses a comprehensive 15-point peace plan..
The proposal, which aims to link the disarmament of Hamas to a gradual Israeli military retreat, faces rejection from Netanyahu in its present iteration.
In a Jerusalem cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu stated, “Israel does not accept the 15-point document.”
Emphasizing his stance, he added, “The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed,” referencing the Israeli Defense Forces.
Netanyahu further clarified that this stance included the disarmament of all arms types, beyond just heavy weaponry, while reiterating his opposition to establishing an independent Palestinian state.
Netanyahu described US President Donald Trump, who had hailed the Gaza deal as a milestone for peace, as “our greatest friend in the White House” — but quickly made clear he was willing to challenge him, saying Israel was raising its objections with the US.
“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,” he said.
Trump’s Board of Peace — an international organisation established to oversee Gaza’s post-war reconstruction and governance — stated nearly a week ago that it expected Israel to make a complete withdrawal from the coastal enclave only after Hamas had been disarmed.
Under the roadmap, Israel and Hamas are supposed to halt the fighting.
A Palestinian transitional administration, supported by an international stabilisation force, is to take control of administration and security as the Israeli military withdraws.
The weapons handed over by Hamas under international supervision would remain under Palestinian control. Israel rejects this and insists that the weapons be removed from Palestinian territory.
Hamas made the surrender of heavy weapons conditional on several requirements, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Further talks underway
Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza, said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 television that the organisation’s plan is the “only way forward”.
“The option we are offering today is the only way forward that ensures this tragedy does not happen again,” he said.
He said that further talks were underway and he hoped the discussions “will lead to a positive outcome for everyone.”
Mladenov described the current stage of the agreement as a commitment involving the US, Hamas and the Board of Peace — notably leaving out Israel.
He also reiterated an assurance he made to Netanyahu last week that Israel would pull out only after a complete Hamas disarmament, walking back earlier language that spoke of Israel starting a phased withdrawal.
But Mladenov maintained that Israel would eventually pull out if there were verified disarmament.
“If there is genuine demilitarisation, Israel will withdraw from the Strip,” he said.
He said the disarmament would involve all Hamas weapons, down to Kalashnikov rifles.
Israel has demanded the destruction of all weapons, not just handing them over.