Benjamin Netanyahu Rejects Trump-Led Gaza Plan, Says Israel Won’t Withdraw Until Hamas Disarms

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a US-led Gaza plan endorsed by Hamas, distancing himself from President Donald Trump as he sought support ahead of close elections.

“Israel rejects the 15-point document”

NewsNation

In a Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said, "Israel rejects the 15-point document" and added that Israel’s military "will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed."

Agencia Noticias Argentinas

The BBC reported Netanyahu told the Cabinet that Israel’s army "no llevará a cabo un retiro hasta que Hamás se desarme verdaderamente" and said Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to what it agreed with mediators and the "Junta de Paz".

Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin accused Netanyahu of delaying any Gaza agreement until after the elections scheduled for October, telling the official radio station "Voz de Palestina" that Netanyahu "no desea alcanzar un acuerdo".

The dispute is framed around the order of steps, with NewsNation saying Israeli forces control over half the Palestinian enclave of about 2 million people that’s been largely destroyed.

Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim told AFP that the US must pressure Israel to accept the next phase, saying, "We expect the mediators and the American guarantor to pressure Netanyahu and his government".

The BBC quoted a Hamas official saying the group "reafirma su compromiso con lo que se acordó con los mediadores y la Junta de Paz" and said that should include "el completo retiro de Israel" and "la reapertura de los cruces".

BBC

France 24 international affairs editor Philip Turle said Netanyahu was willing to "break ties with Trump" over the 15-point Gaza peace deal to gain support from far-right members of his coalition.

The Guardian described Netanyahu’s rejection as a "risky gamble" and said Israeli Channel 12 reported the remarks blindsided commanders who had been discussing implementation with Netanyahu and the Israeli chief of staff, Eyal Zamir.

In the same Guardian account, a defence official told Channel 12, "We learned about it today from the media," after meetings that the station said Netanyahu had personally consented to.

The stakes extend beyond Gaza’s ceasefire mechanics, with LA17 and Diario Digital Conclusión saying that since the cease-fire between Hamas and Israel went into effect in October 2025, Israeli attacks have left more than 1.250 dead and more than 4.100 wounded in Gaza, according to Gaza health authorities.

“más de1.250muertos y más de4.100heridos”

LA17

The BBC also put the war’s toll in context, saying the conflict began after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 de octubre de 2023 in which unas 1.200 personas murieron and otras 251 fueron tomadas como rehenes.

In the BBC’s account of Gaza’s conditions, it cited Naciones Unidas saying 1,9 millones de personas, el 90% de la población de Gaza, ha sido desplazada, and that more than two million Palestinians in Gaza fight disease with minimal access to food, potable water, and adequate shelter.

The Guardian said the US-backed plan included a Hamas commitment to give up its weapons and a move toward a permanent settlement brokered by the Board of Peace that Trump created and chairs, while Netanyahu resisted US pressure to end wars without Israel’s buy-in.

With elections looming, the BBC said Netanyahu’s rejection came as he tried not to contradict his closest ally, while France 24 framed the rejection as part of Netanyahu trying to shore up his base ahead of close elections.