Benjamin Netanyahu Rejects Trump-Backed Gaza Disarmament Roadmap, Says IDF Won’t Withdraw Until Hamas Disarmed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the Board of Peace Gaza disarmament roadmap, saying Sunday, "Israel does not accept the 15-point document."

“"Israel does not accept the 15-point document."”

Reuters

The rejection came as Reuters reported that Israel had effectively halted attacks in Gaza under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, with Nikolay Mladenov meeting Netanyahu after which Israel scaled back attacks in the territory.

Al Jazeera

Reuters also said the military would only act against what it perceives as immediate threats in Gaza and no longer carry out targeted assassinations as it had been doing on a near-daily basis.

In the same Reuters account, Netanyahu insisted that "The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed," adding that disarming Hamas means heavy weaponry, lighter weaponry, all weaponry.

Reuters reported that discussions on the new roadmap were ongoing, while Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, said the group remained committed to the roadmap agreed in Cairo 10 days ago.

Donald Trump responded to Netanyahu’s rejection by saying the relationship was "very good," after Netanyahu explicitly opposed the 15-point peace plan for Gaza drafted by the US-led Board of Peace.

Al Jazeera also quoted a Board of Peace official telling Reuters that the process is based on "implementation and verification on the ground," with each stage moving only once required commitments are met.

Al-Jazira Net

Hamas, in Al Jazeera’s account, affirmed its commitment to what had been agreed with the mediators and the Peace Council regarding the Gaza roadmap for completing the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.

In Reuters, Basem Naim said the group expected mediators and the U.S. guarantor to press Netanyahu and his government to adhere to the roadmap and not obstruct the process for internal political and electoral reasons.

Reuters further reported that far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised Netanyahu, saying "The (military) cannot withdraw even a millimetre from the Gaza Strip."

While Netanyahu rejected the roadmap, the Times of Israel reported that Israel has essentially paused strikes on the Strip and that there are reports the premier and defense minister okayed a pilot reconstruction project in Rafah.

“Israel has essentially paused strikes on the Strip”

The Times of Israel

The BBC reported that the expected construction of the first ISF base is still scheduled to begin amid the ruins of Rafah in southern Gaza at the end of this month, with the force made up of international troops working with a new Palestinian police force to secure the territory.

Reuters said the roadmap complications centered on questions over the plan’s timeline, with Israel insisting on disarmament before withdrawal and Hamas avoiding the use of the term "disarmament" while saying it agreed to hand over weapons to be stored under a U.S.-backed Palestinian technocrat administration.

In the Jerusalem Post, Uganda’s Parliament approved the deployment of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces to Gaza as part of Trump’s proposed international stabilization force, with Defense Minister Kiryowa Kiwanuka saying the UPDF contingent would remain neutral and comply with International humanitarian law.

The Jerusalem Post also quoted Chief Opposition Whip Paul Mwiru warning that the motion was "an ambush on us," while Maj. Gen. Henry Masiko said Uganda should be "very, very proud" that the UPDF is viewed as the anchor of stability.