Netanyahu Breaks With Trump Over Gaza Plan, Demands Hamas Disarm First

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a US-backed plan for Gaza on Sunday, breaking with US President Donald Trump, as the 15-point proposal called for Hamas to disarm and Israeli troops to withdraw from the enclave.

“Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahuon Sundayrejecteda US-backed plan for Gaza”

GZERO Media

The plan’s core condition was a nonstarter for Hamas, which insists it won’t disarm until Israel withdraws first, leaving Netanyahu navigating competing pressures from Washington and far-right ministers in his coalition.

Al Jazeera

The Reuters-backed framework described by GZERO Media centers on a “Board of Peace” unveiled last month, while GZERO Media says Washington wants a Middle East peace deal as its separate war with Iran continues to stall.

GZERO Media also says far-right ministers in Netanyahu’s coalition blasted the Gaza plan soon after it was announced, and that any perceived concession on Gaza could carry a steep political cost at home.

While the Gaza dispute played out around Netanyahu’s rejection of the US-backed plan, Syria announced on 9 August 2026 that it had reached an agreement with Moscow on the future of Russian military bases in Hmeimim and Tartus after about eighteen months of negotiations.

The Syria Foreign Ministry described the memorandum as the biggest breakthrough since talks began, saying it opened a new chapter in Syrian-Russian relations, and set a maximum three-month period to complete the transition process.

AzerNews

A separate legal analysis in Diplomacy and Law framed the August memorandum as a substantial change in Russia’s military presence in Syria but said it does not establish that the previous legal regime has already disappeared.

That analysis emphasized that “International law distinguishes a change of government from succession of States,” and said the legality now depends on the status of earlier agreements and whether Russian activities remain within Syria’s consent.

As Syria and Russia moved to reorganize the Mediterranean footprint of Moscow’s forces, multiple outlets described the deal as ending Russia’s use of the bases as military outposts while converting military facilities into joint training and qualification centers.

“Syria and Russia have reached an agreement over the future of two strategic Mediterranean coastal bases that ultimately ends their use as military outposts for Moscow”

CNN

CNN said the agreement “ultimately ends their use as military outposts for Moscow,” and added that Syria would take control of the Hmeimem air base and the commercial berth at Tartus port as part of its civil administration.

France 24 similarly reported that “Damascus will take control of the Hmeimem air base and part of Tartous port,” while the remaining military facilities would be converted into joint training centres.

Across the coverage, the stakes were tied to what comes next for Syrian-Russian relations, with CNN quoting the Foreign Ministry statement that the move “paving the way for a new phase in Syrian-Russian relations.”