Netanyahu Rejects Trump Gaza Plan as US Envoys Negotiate

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally rejected a 15-point peace roadmap for Gaza brokered by President Donald Trump's Board of Peace. The proposal, which Hamas and other Palestinian factions accepted, calls for the decommissioning of weapons and the transfer of Gaza's governance to a Palestinian technocratic committee in exchange for an Israeli military withdrawal and a halt to airstrikes. Netanyahu has labeled the plan unacceptable, insisting that the Israel Defense Forces will not withdraw until Hamas is genuinely disarmed.

Diplomatic efforts to break the deadlock intensified as US special envoy Jared Kushner, accompanied by Board of Peace representatives Nickolay Mladenov and Tony Blair, traveled to Egypt and Israel. In El-Alamein, Kushner met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Hamas political leader Khalil al-Hayya. While Hamas reiterated its commitment to the deal, it conditioned the handover of weapons on an immediate Israeli withdrawal and cessation of attacks.

Parallel to these talks, the Israel Defense Forces resumed airstrikes in Khan Younis and Nuseirat, killing several people, including Gaza City police governor Jamal Abu Kamil. These military actions follow a brief lull in bombardment and have drawn condemnation from a coalition of eight nations, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar, who argue Israel's position threatens to derail the peace process. Kushner is scheduled to meet Netanyahu in Jerusalem to attempt to bridge the gap between the US-backed roadmap and Israeli security demands.