Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected Donald Trump’s latest plan for Gaza, exposing a significant disagreement with the US president at a critical moment in efforts to prevent the war from restarting.
Netanyahu told his government on Sunday that Israel does not accept Trump’s 15-point roadmap in its current form, particularly its proposed sequence for Hamas disarmament and Israeli withdrawal. His rejection comes even as Israeli forces have sharply reduced military operations in Gaza under pressure from Washington.
The dispute now centers on a crucial question: must Hamas surrender all its weapons before Israeli troops begin leaving Gaza, or can disarmament and withdrawal happen gradually alongside each other?
Netanyahu Has Drawn a Clear Line on Withdrawal
Israel’s prime minister insists that Israeli forces will not leave Gaza until Hamas has been fully disarmed.
Speaking at the beginning of a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said Israel could not accept the 15-point document as currently written. He insisted Hamas must surrender everything from heavy weapons to smaller arms before the Israeli military withdraws.
Netanyahu said Israel remains in discussions with Washington and suggested some US proposals are acceptable while others are not. Israeli officials have already communicated their reservations to the Trump administration.
The position puts Netanyahu at odds with an important element of the US-backed roadmap, which envisions Israeli forces withdrawing as Hamas gives up its weapons and a new security structure takes control.
Trump Wants the Process to Move Forward
Washington is pushing a plan designed to connect Hamas disarmament, Israeli withdrawal and a new security system for Gaza.
Trump announced last month that progress had been made toward ending the conflict, saying both Israel and Hamas had agreed to a framework involving the removal of Hamas weapons.
Under the proposal, an International Stabilization Force would work alongside a newly established Palestinian police force to provide security. Gaza’s civilian affairs would be handled by a US-backed Palestinian technocratic administration under the supervision of Trump’s Board of Peace.
Nikolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s Gaza envoy, said discussions over the roadmap remain active. He has indicated that Israel would withdraw “sector by sector” after Hamas weapons in particular areas had been surrendered and made unusable.
That sequencing is now one of the biggest obstacles separating the sides.
Hamas Has a Different Interpretation of Disarmament
Hamas says it remains committed to the roadmap but has stopped short of accepting Israel’s demand for complete disarmament before any withdrawal.
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim said the group remains committed to the roadmap agreed in Cairo and called on US officials and mediators to ensure Netanyahu follows through.
Hamas has avoided describing its commitment as outright “disarmament.” Instead, the group says its weapons would be handed over and stored under the authority of the new Palestinian administration.
It has also linked implementation to Israeli actions, insisting that Israel must withdraw its forces and halt attacks as part of the process.
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That creates a fundamental sequencing problem. Israel wants Hamas disarmed first. Hamas wants Israeli commitments implemented alongside its own.
Israel Has Already Changed Its Military Approach
Despite Netanyahu’s objections, Israeli military operations in Gaza have been scaled back as Washington pushes negotiations forward.
Israel sharply reduced attacks following Mladenov’s meeting with Netanyahu. According to a source familiar with Israel’s position, the military agreed to restrict operations to situations it considers immediate threats.
Israel has also halted the targeted assassinations it had been conducting regularly against militants it accused of involvement in the October 7, 2023, attacks.
The shift gives Trump some leverage because Israel remains heavily dependent on US military and diplomatic support. Yet Netanyahu’s public rejection of parts of the roadmap shows there are limits to how far he is currently prepared to follow Washington’s preferred approach.
Netanyahu Is Also Fighting a Political Battle at Home
Any concession on Gaza could carry a heavy political price for Netanyahu as Israel approaches its October election.
Netanyahu is seeking re-election on October 27 while facing pressure from both voters and members of his right-wing coalition.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich backed Netanyahu’s refusal to withdraw before Hamas is destroyed, arguing that Israeli forces should not retreat “even a millimetre” from Gaza.
That pressure leaves Netanyahu caught between two powerful forces. Trump wants movement toward ending the conflict, while Netanyahu’s hardline political allies want Israel to maintain military control until Hamas has been completely dismantled.
With Netanyahu already struggling in opinion polls, accepting a compromise perceived as too favorable to Hamas could deepen problems with his political base.
The Biggest Obstacle May Be Who Moves First
Israel and Hamas appear to accept parts of Trump’s broader framework, but neither side wants to surrender its main source of leverage before the other acts.
Israeli troops currently control roughly two-thirds of Gaza, while more than two million Palestinians have largely been pushed into a narrow coastal area, many living in tents or damaged buildings.
More than 1,250 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the US-mediated ceasefire began in October 2025, according to Gaza health officials, who say most were civilians. Hamas has not disclosed how many fighters were among those killed. Four Israeli soldiers have also died in Gaza during that period.
Trump’s roadmap attempts to break that cycle by tying disarmament, withdrawal and postwar governance together. But the disagreement over timing threatens to undermine the entire arrangement.
Netanyahu’s rejection does not necessarily mean the negotiations are over. Israel remains in talks with Washington, and Hamas says it still supports the framework. The harder task is convincing each side that it can take the first meaningful step without giving its opponent a strategic advantage.
With Netanyahu insisting Hamas must completely disarm before Israel withdraws and Hamas demanding Israeli commitments as part of the same process, what compromise could realistically persuade both sides to move forward with Trump’s Gaza plan?
