Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a US-led Gaza peace plan that had been endorsed by Hamas, creating a fresh disagreement with US President Donald Trump as Netanyahu faces political pressure ahead of Israel’s October elections.
Netanyahu announced his opposition on Sunday after more than a week of increasingly critical comments about the proposal. His decision followed strong resistance from members of his right-wing political bloc, who have urged him to reject any arrangement that could require Israel to withdraw from parts of Gaza before Hamas is disarmed.
“Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu said, referring to the proposal Hamas agreed to in late July.
The Israeli military “will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed, and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens”, he told a cabinet meeting.
Netanyahu Challenges Trump Despite Praising US President
Although Netanyahu described Trump as “our greatest friend in the White House”, he made clear that Israel would not accept every element of the US-backed proposal.
He said Israel had communicated its objections to Washington and would continue to defend what it considers its core security interests.
“They have ideas; some of them are acceptable to us and some are not, and we know how to stand our ground on these matters,” he said.
The development marks a notable shift in the relationship between Netanyahu and Trump, who has strongly supported Israel and presented the Gaza agreement as an important step towards ending the conflict.
Political Pressure Builds Ahead Of Israeli Election
Netanyahu’s rejection of the plan comes as he prepares for Israel’s October 27 election, the first national poll since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that triggered the Gaza war.
Recent polling has shown Netanyahu either narrowly leading or trailing his opponents, while the proposed Gaza deal appears unpopular among sections of his right-wing support base.
Far-right members of his government have also called on him to abandon the agreement, increasing the political pressure surrounding the proposal.
Hamas, meanwhile, has urged Washington to pressure Netanyahu into accepting the plan.
“We expect the mediators and the American guarantor to pressure Netanyahu and his government to adhere to the roadmap, and not obstruct the process for internal political and electoral reasons,” Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, told AFP.
Hamas has maintained that it remains committed to the agreement.
What The Gaza Plan Proposes
The proposal emerged as the latest stage of a US-brokered ceasefire framework announced in October that has reduced the scale of Israeli military operations in Gaza but has not brought the fighting to a complete end.
Under the proposed arrangement, Hamas would surrender its weapons to an emerging Palestinian governing authority. Israel would then gradually withdraw its forces in coordination with the disarmament process.
Netanyahu, however, has rejected that sequence, insisting that Israel cannot begin withdrawing troops until Hamas has been completely disarmed.
Following a meeting with Netanyahu last week, the US-led body responsible for implementing the agreement, known as the Board of Peace, clarified that Israel would only be expected to withdraw after “complete” disarmament.
Netanyahu nevertheless maintained that the revised assurance did not go far enough.
“We are talking about real disarmament, not fictitious disarmament,” he said Sunday.
Growing Friction Between Netanyahu And Trump
The disagreement over Gaza follows other recent differences between the Israeli prime minister and the US president.
Netanyahu has previously relied heavily on his close relationship with Trump, who has taken several major steps in support of Israel, including moving the US embassy to Jerusalem.
However, the two leaders have not always shared the same approach to regional conflicts. Trump and Netanyahu were involved in launching a war against Iran in late February, but their positions later diverged when Trump pushed for a ceasefire and a diplomatic settlement amid growing economic and political costs.
Netanyahu also told his cabinet that Israel would continue to oppose Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“With an agreement or without an agreement, as long as I am prime minister, Iran will not have nuclear weapons”, he said.
The Israeli leader has also ordered renewed strikes in Lebanon following what Israel described as a ceasefire violation by Iran-backed Hezbollah, at a time when Israel and Lebanon were engaged in US-mediated negotiations.
Egypt Urges Parties To Protect Gaza Peace Efforts
Egypt, which has played a key role in mediating the Gaza conflict, has called on all sides to honour their commitments and avoid actions that could derail the diplomatic process.
The appeal came during a conversation between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza.
Despite Netanyahu’s rejection of the plan, Israeli military activity in Gaza appears to have declined since the agreement was announced, although operations have continued.
Israeli gunfire on Sunday reportedly injured a child who was taken to hospital in Khan Yunis, according to civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal.
Israeli Operations Continue Despite Ceasefire
According to Gaza’s health ministry, which operates under Hamas authorities, Israeli military operations have killed 1,258 Palestinians since the ceasefire. The United Nations considers figures from the ministry generally reliable.
The Israeli military, meanwhile, has reported five deaths among its personnel during the same period.
Netanyahu’s rejection of the plan now leaves the future of the proposed Gaza settlement uncertain, particularly as Hamas continues to support the roadmap and the Trump administration seeks to move the agreement forward.
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