Netanyahu rejects Trump plan, insists on Hamas disarmament before Gaza withdrawal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected a 15-point peace framework put forward by United States President Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza, according to Africanews. Netanyahu set out a hard condition: the Israeli military will not withdraw from the Palestinian enclave until Hamas is fully disarmed.
The war in Gaza began in October 2023 after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which prompted a large-scale Israeli military campaign in the territory. Since then, US-led mediation efforts have sought to broker a ceasefire, secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, and establish a longer-term political arrangement. Trump’s 15-point proposal represented the most recent iteration of that diplomatic push.
According to Africanews, Netanyahu’s rejection focuses on the sequencing of the plan rather than its overall aims. The Israeli premier insists that any disarmament of Hamas must be completed and verified before Israeli forces begin a withdrawal. The position aligns with long-standing Israeli demands that the militant group’s military capabilities be dismantled as a precondition for a sustained truce.
The refusal complicates a mediation track that has already faced repeated deadlocks. Previous rounds of negotiations stalled over similar issues, including the timing of any ceasefire, the disposition of hostages, and the governance of Gaza after the fighting stops. Regional mediators, alongside Qatari and Egyptian intermediaries, have continued shuttle diplomacy, though a final framework has remained elusive.
The Israeli government has consistently argued that military pressure is necessary to dismantle Hamas’s infrastructure and ensure the group cannot repeat its 2023 attack. International humanitarian organisations, however, have documented the severe toll the campaign has taken on Gaza’s civilian population, adding urgency to calls for a negotiated end to the conflict.
Sources
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