Benjamin Netanyahu Rejects Trump's 15-Point Gaza Peace Roadmap

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a 15-point Gaza ceasefire roadmap proposed by US President Donald Trump during a cabinet meeting on Sunday, August 10. Netanyahu stated that the Israel Defense Forces will not withdraw from the Gaza Strip until Hamas achieves genuine disarmament, a position supported by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

The rejection marks a public break with the plan promoted by the US-led Board of Peace. That roadmap envisioned a phased process where Israeli troop withdrawals and the decommissioning of Hamas weaponry would occur in lockstep, involving the deployment of an international stabilization force and the storage of heavy weapons under a Palestinian technocratic body.

While Hamas has endorsed the roadmap and called on the United States to pressure Israel to comply, Netanyahu's defiance is widely attributed to domestic political pressure. With general elections scheduled for October 27, Netanyahu faces threats from far-right coalition partners and seeks to appease an electorate opposed to limiting military action in Gaza.

Nickolay Mladenov, the High Representative for Gaza for the Board of Peace, defended the proposal as the only viable path to prevent future tragedies. Despite this, Netanyahu reaffirmed his commitment to preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and maintained that Israel would stand its ground on the terms of the document.