Netanyahu Rejects US-Backed Gaza Peace Plan, Signaling Public Rift with Trump Administration

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected a U.S.-backed 15-point peace plan for Gaza, creating a stark diplomatic rift with the Trump administration over the sequencing of a ceasefire. Speaking to his cabinet on Sunday, Netanyahu declared that Israel would not accept the phased roadmap, insisting that Israeli forces will not withdraw from the territory until Hamas is completely and verifiably disarmed.[1]

The rejection strikes a blow to President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace," which unveiled the 15-point document in late July as a definitive off-ramp to the prolonged conflict. The U.S. framework proposed a sequenced de-escalation: Israeli troops would pull back to a designated "yellow line" while Hamas gradually ceded its weapons to a U.S.-backed Palestinian technocratic administration, overseen by an International Stabilization Force.[2][3][4]

Netanyahu, however, dismantled that sequence during his Sunday address. "Israel does not accept the 15-point document," he stated flatly. "The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed. And when I say the disarming of Hamas, it means heavy weaponry, lighter weaponry, all weaponry. We are talking about genuine disarmament, not fictitious disarmament."[1]

The prime minister's forceful pushback follows days of mounting pressure from his right-wing coalition partners ahead of Israel's upcoming October elections. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich publicly praised the rejection, reiterating that the military cannot withdraw "even a millimeter" before Hamas is entirely demobilized and its governing capabilities dismantled.[1][2]

Hamas, meanwhile, released a statement reaffirming its commitment to the U.S.-brokered roadmap. The militant group has strategically avoided the explicit term "disarmament," agreeing instead to transfer its arsenal to the proposed Palestinian administration. Israeli officials view this semantic distinction as a "strategic ambush" designed to prevent future Israeli military action while leaving Hamas's underlying infrastructure intact.[1][3]

The public divergence highlights a growing friction between Jerusalem and Washington over the endgame in the Middle East. Trump has heavily touted the peace plan as a "monumental step toward lasting peace," viewing a Gaza resolution as a necessary precursor to stabilizing the broader region, containing Iran, and lowering global oil prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.[2][3]

The White House directed inquiries to the Board of Peace, which maintained that the 15-point plan remains the "only way forward." Yet Netanyahu made clear he is willing to absorb the diplomatic fallout, stating that Israel knows how to "stand our ground, even against our best friends when necessary."[3]

The stalemate leaves the immediate future of the Gaza Strip in limbo. With Israel still controlling roughly 70 percent of the territory and both sides deadlocked on the sequencing of withdrawal versus disarmament, the U.S. administration faces a narrowing window to broker a comprehensive settlement before the region's interconnected conflicts escalate further.[3]