Netanyahu rejects US Gaza plan, vows no pullout until Hamas disarms
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected a Gaza plan endorsed by US President Donald Trump, saying Israel would not withdraw its forces until Hamas was “genuinely” disarmed.
After more than a week of increasingly strong criticism of the plan, Netanyahu formally opposed it as he faced pressure from his right-wing political allies ahead of elections.
“Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting, referring to the plan endorsed by Hamas in late July.
He said the Israeli military “will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed” and would continue to counter threats against Israeli forces and citizens.
The plan is the latest stage of a US-led ceasefire announced in October, which has reduced but not ended Israeli military operations in Gaza. Under the proposal, Hamas would surrender its weapons to an emerging Palestinian governing body.
The plan also envisages Israel beginning to withdraw its forces in parallel with Hamas’s disarmament. Israel has firmly rejected that arrangement and has demanded that Hamas completely dismantle its weapons.
Following a meeting with Netanyahu last week, the US body overseeing implementation of the agreement, known as the Board of Peace, backtracked and said Israel would only be required to withdraw after “complete” disarmament.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has faced calls from far-right allies to hold a new cabinet vote and abandon the Gaza plan as he remains in a tight race to retain power, according to opinion polls.
He said Israel was discussing its objections with the United States.
“They have ideas; some of them are acceptable to us and some are not, and we know how to stand our ground on these matters,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu insisted that Hamas must surrender all its weapons, despite members of the Board of Peace saying such a goal is not realistically achievable.
“We are talking about real disarmament, not fictitious disarmament,” he said.