Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a 15-point plan backed by the administration of US President Donald Trump that seeks to link Hamas’s disarmament with a phased Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza.
Netanyahu’s position marks a rare public disagreement with Trump, with whom he has maintained a close political relationship on issues relating to Israel and the conflict in Gaza.
The US-backed proposal outlines a phased process under which Hamas would surrender its weapons to a new Palestinian administration in Gaza. In exchange, Israel would gradually withdraw its forces from more than half of the territory currently under its control.
Speaking at a meeting of government ministers on Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel would not accept the arrangement in its current form.
“I want to be clear here: Israel is ruling out the 15-point plan,” Netanyahu said, according to a readout from his office.
The Israeli prime minister added that his government had already communicated its concerns regarding the proposal to the Trump administration.
Netanyahu also made clear that Israeli forces would not begin withdrawing from areas under their control before Hamas is disarmed.
“Israel is ruling out the 15-point plan,” he reiterated, stressing that no military withdrawal would take place until Hamas gives up its weapons.
The Israeli position presents a challenge to ongoing US efforts to advance a political and security framework for Gaza. The proposal aims to combine Hamas’s disarmament, a phased Israeli withdrawal, and the establishment of a new Palestinian administration as part of a broader plan for the territory’s future governance.
However, Netanyahu’s rejection indicates that Israel remains unwilling to undertake a significant military withdrawal before securing the complete disarmament of Hamas.
The development underscores the complexities facing Washington as it seeks to balance Israel’s security concerns with plans for Gaza’s reconstruction and future administration.
Although Trump has consistently supported Israel’s security objectives and Netanyahu has frequently relied on that backing, the latest disagreement highlights differences between the two governments over the sequence and conditions for ending Israel’s military presence in Gaza.
Under the proposed framework, Israel would be expected to accept a phased withdrawal while Hamas would surrender its weapons as part of the process. Netanyahu’s government has maintained that disarmament must occur before any Israeli withdrawal, setting the stage for potentially difficult negotiations between Jerusalem and Washington over the future of Gaza.
