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Netanyahu rejects 15 points
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a US-backed 15-point Gaza peace plan on Sunday, saying Israeli troops would not withdraw from the territory until Hamas was fully disarmed.
“"Israel rejects the 15-point document"”
Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting, "Israel rejects the 15-point document," and said the Israeli military "will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed," including "heavy weaponry, lighter weaponry, all weaponry."
The dispute centers on a roadmap agreed to by Hamas in late July, with Trump’s Board of Peace proposing Israeli troop withdrawal as Hamas gives up its weapons.
DW reported that Netanyahu said Israel remained in talks with Washington despite his objections, while the White House did not immediately comment.
The disagreement comes as Netanyahu faces elections scheduled for October 27, Israel’s first national vote since the Hamas-led attacks that triggered the war in Gaza.
Mladenov insists on full execution
Nickolay Mladenov, the Gaza envoy of the US-backed Board of Peace, told Israeli television that full implementation of the plan is the only guarantee that the October 7, 2023 massacre will not recur.
Mladenov said, "The option we are offering today is the only way forward that ensures this tragedy does not happen again," and argued the roadmap would be based on verifiable steps rather than trust in the terror group.
The Times of Israel reported that Mladenov’s Channel 12 interview came hours after Netanyahu announced he categorically rejected the 15-point plan and, in a reported U-turn, halted a small IDF pullout from certain areas in southern Gaza.
In response to Netanyahu’s remarks, Hamas said it remained committed to the roadmap and expected mediators and the American guarantor to pressure Netanyahu and his government to adhere to it.
NPR reported that Netanyahu demanded Hamas be "genuinely disarmed" before any Israeli withdrawal, while the Board of Peace had described a phased approach in which Hamas would gradually cede weapons.
What’s at stake next
The dispute threatens to stall the transition framework described in Trump’s plan, which envisioned an International Stabilization Force working alongside a new Palestinian police force to secure Gaza after Hamas gives up its weapons.
“Gaza health officials say more than 1,250 Palestinians have been killed”
DW reported that Gaza health officials say more than 1,250 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the October 2025 ceasefire, while the Israeli military says five of its soldiers have been killed during the same period.
The Washington Post framed the moment as a rejection of a U.S.-backed proposal for Hamas to lay down its weapons in Gaza in exchange for Israeli withdrawal from the territory that Trump recently touted as a breakthrough toward ending the conflict.
NPR said the latest dispute follows an initial ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas in October 2025 that halted major fighting, provided for the release of remaining hostages in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, and increased humanitarian aid.
In Israel, the political stakes are immediate: NPR said Netanyahu’s decision comes less than three months before Israel’s Oct. 27 election, with polls showing his coalition is at risk of losing its majority.
