Israel has rejected US President Donald Trump’s 15-point plan for Gaza and will not withdraw until Hamas fully disarms, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.
The Board of Peace, spearheaded by Trump, announced last month that it had made a breakthrough in a plan to end the war.
Israel and Hamas agreed to the plan last year, beginning with a ceasefire. Israel has continued to carry out near-daily strikes on Gaza since agreeing to the ceasefire last October.
Trump said that Hamas had agreed to lay down its weapons.
“Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting on Sunday.
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The Israeli army “will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens”, he added.
Middle East Eye obtained a copy of the 15-point agreement last month.
Under the deal, Hamas and other Palestinian factions would not hand Gaza’s weapons to Israel. Instead, the weapons would be placed under the control of a body called the National Committee.
The document seen by MEE states that the weapons would remain in Palestinian hands.
Full text: 15-point draft peace plan between Hamas and Israel in Gaza
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“No weapons will be transferred or surrendered to Israel or any non-Palestinian parties,” the text states, and by the end of the disarmament process, “the National Committee alone shall retain, store, or control weapons in Gaza”.
The agreement describes weapons collection as a domestic process: “The National Committee, as the transitional authority in Gaza, shall be the sole authority for registering weapons, issuing and revoking licenses, and enforcing the law… all factions, clans, and elements of Palestinian society in Gaza shall cooperate with the National Committee in this process.”
Hamas has publicly said it will not implement any part of the roadmap unless Israel meets its obligations, including a full, phased withdrawal from the territory it still controls in Gaza.
The document makes that condition central to every stage, stating that “the transition from one phase to the next will be contingent upon the verified completion of the previous phase’s obligations”, with an international commission responsible for verification.
“This is a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after the plan was revealed.
He said Israeli forces would withdraw “as disarmament is completed”, while the UN-mandated International Stabilization Force would work alongside a new Palestinian police force.
Hamas official Ghazi Hamad told Reuters at the time that the group would retain its weapons until Israel halted its attacks, allowed more aid and goods into Gaza, and withdrew its forces in accordance with the ceasefire agreement reached in October last year.
