Israel Rejects Trump Gaza Plan
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s 15-point plan for Gaza, stating that Israeli forces will not withdraw until Hamas is fully and genuinely disarmed of all weapons.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said: “Israel rejects the 15-point document.” He clarified that disarmament must cover heavy weapons, lighter weapons and every category of armament, describing anything short of complete surrender of arms as fictitious. Israeli troops, he added, would continue operations to counter threats against forces and civilians. Netanyahu further declared that no Palestinian state would be established in Gaza or the West Bank while he remains in office.
The plan, advanced by Trump’s Board of Peace, envisioned a phased process in which Hamas would hand over weapons in stages to a new Palestinian administration while Israeli forces gradually withdrew from areas they have controlled since the ceasefire reached last October. Trump had recently described the proposal as a breakthrough after indicating that Hamas had agreed to lay down arms. Netanyahu’s public rejection marks a clear divergence from that assessment and introduces open friction with the U.S. administration.
Netanyahu noted that discussions with American counterparts are ongoing. Some ideas put forward by Washington are acceptable to Israel, he said, while others are not, and Israel is prepared to stand firm on its core security requirements. The Israeli military has continued limited strikes in Gaza since the earlier ceasefire. Palestinian officials report that around 1,200 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in those operations.
Hamas has reaffirmed its commitment to the 15-point framework while maintaining that any handover of heavy weapons depends on an end to Israeli military activity and a full withdrawal. The fundamental disagreement over sequencing – whether disarmament must precede withdrawal or occur in parallel, remains unresolved. Israeli officials have privately described Hamas’s stated acceptance of the plan as a potential strategic trap intended to constrain further military options.
The rejection leaves the latest U.S. – backed initiative without Israeli endorsement at a critical stage. Netanyahu’s insistence on complete disarmament first reflects longstanding Israeli positions on residual threats from Gaza. With strikes continuing and the political gap between the parties unbridged, the path toward a durable arrangement remains uncertain. Both sides continue to engage the United States, yet the public positions articulated on Sunday underline the distance that still separates them.
