Netanyahu Rejects Trump Gaza Plan Demanding Full Hamas Disarmament

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a Gaza disarmament framework proposed by the U.S.-led Board of Peace, asserting that Hamas must be fully disarmed and the Gaza Strip demilitarized before any Israeli military withdrawal or reconstruction begins. The framework, announced on July 30 by U.S. President Donald Trump as part of a broader ceasefire, suggested a gradual Israeli withdrawal coinciding with the decommissioning of weapons.

Following meetings in Jerusalem between Netanyahu and Board of Peace High Representative Nickolay Mladenov, the Board clarified that the Israel Defense Forces will not withdraw beyond the Yellow Line—a military zone in southern Lebanon—until all weapons, tunnels, and military infrastructure in Gaza are decommissioned. Netanyahu maintained that the public version of the roadmap did not reflect Israel's positions and insisted that verifiable demilitarization is the indispensable first step.

Hamas has stated it remains committed to the ceasefire but maintains that implementation depends on Israel first halting military operations and withdrawing troops. This diplomatic impasse occurred alongside an escalation in Israeli airstrikes that killed dozens of Palestinians, drawing condemnation from mediators in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey. In response to Mladenov's request for a two-week halt to attacks to facilitate negotiations, the Israel Defense Forces implemented new restrictions requiring political approval for targeted killings. Meanwhile, President Isaac Herzog expressed a positive view of the Trump administration's efforts, provided Hamas is fully disarmed.