Netanyahu reiterates rejection of Trump’s Gaza plan as Israel scales back attacks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not withdraw forces from Gaza before Hamas is fully disarmed.
Jerusalem, Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his rejection of Donald Trump’s latest 15-point Gaza plan on Sunday, as Israel’s military scaled back attacks in the territory amid pressure from the US president.
Israeli position
Netanyahu made the comments in televised remarks to his right-wing government while campaigning for an October 27 election.
He is facing pressure from far-right ministers opposed to concessions in Gaza and from Trump, described as a key military backer, who is seeking progress towards ending the conflict through the new peace plan.
“Israel does not accept the 15-point document,” Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting.
He said the military would not withdraw until Hamas was disarmed, including its heavy and lighter weapons.
“We are talking about genuine disarmament, not fictitious disarmament,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel was discussing the plan with the United States.
“They have ideas, some of which are acceptable to us and some of which are unacceptable to us,” he said, without providing details.
Netanyahu made similar comments in a social media post on Tuesday.
Military activity and ceasefire plan
Israel has reduced attacks in Gaza since Monday, when Nikolay Mladenov, the Gaza envoy for Trump’s Board of Peace overseeing the Gaza ceasefire, met Netanyahu.
A source familiar with Israel’s position said the military had agreed to act only against what it considers immediate threats in Gaza and would no longer carry out targeted assassinations that had been conducted on a near-daily basis.
Trump announced last month what he described as a breakthrough in a plan to end the war, which Israel and Hamas agreed to. The plan envisages Israeli forces withdrawing, Hamas disarming, and an International Stabilisation Force working with a new Palestinian police force to secure Gaza.
Disarmament dispute
Complications have emerged over the sequence of implementing the agreement.
Israel has said its troops in Gaza will not move before Hamas disarms, while Hamas has said Israel must halt attacks before it begins implementing the part of the agreement concerning its weapons.
Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, told Reuters on Sunday that the group remained committed to the roadmap agreed with mediators in Cairo 10 days earlier.
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