Israel Rejects Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan, Demands Hamas Disarmament

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed President Donald Trump’s 15‑point Gaza peace plan, saying that Israeli forces will not begin any withdrawal until Hamas proves it has been genuinely disarmed.

Trump’s Board of Peace, created to steer the agreement, last month declared it had reached a “complete disarmament” of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. In turn, Hamas says it will only hand over heavy weapons when Israel ends “all forms of aggression” and pulls out of the territory.

At a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu underscored that the Israeli military will “continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens” and that the plan was “not acceptable” under the current terms.

Hamas officials confirmed their readiness to engage “seriously and responsibly” with the 15‑point plan and called for mediators to enforce compliance. Netanyahu’s statement reflects his uneasy position: while he remains a staunch ally of the United States, he faces pressure from his right‑wing coalition to adopt a hard‑line stance in Gaza ahead of upcoming elections.

Israel’s continued strikes in Gaza, amid a war that began after a Hamas assault on 7 October that killed roughly 1,200 people, have left over 73,000 dead, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The conflict has displaced about 1.9 million people, or 90% of Gaza’s population.

Senior U.S. diplomat Nickolay Mladenov defended the board’s plan, arguing it offers a verifiable, reversible process that ensures Israel’s safety without premature withdrawal. Yet the Israeli leadership maintains it will not step back until the security conditions dictated by the agreement are satisfied.

International observers see Netanyahu’s decision as a significant setback for the Trump‑backed effort. The slogan “monumental step toward lasting peace” has not yet translated into a concrete roadmap that satisfies the complex security concerns on both sides of the border.