Netanyahu rejects Trump's 15-point Gaza peace plan, demanding Hamas disarm first

Netanyahu rejects the 15-point plan

On Sunday, August 9, 2026, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the 15-point Gaza peace plan presented by Donald Trump's Board of Peace at the end of July. Speaking before his cabinet, Netanyahu declared that Israel rejects the document and insisted the Israeli military will not withdraw until Hamas is disarmed.

“The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed.”

The plan, accepted by Hamas in late July, called for gradual disarmament linked to a phased Israeli withdrawal, along with provisions for limited Palestinian self-government, supervised disarmament, and a pathway to Palestinian statehood. Netanyahu demands that Hamas first surrender all weapons, heavy and light, before any tank pulls back, calling anything less "fictitious disarmament." Hamas advocates gradual disarmament rather than a unilateral surrender of its arsenal.

The plan's structural fragility

The plan set timelines of 200 to 300 days for demilitarization, with Israeli withdrawals "gradual toward designated lines in sync with the progress of verification." The design follows conditioned reciprocal sequencing but is structurally fragile: either side can freeze its obligations by citing the other's delay. The NCAG, a Palestinian technocratic body meant to manage Gaza during a transitional phase, remains blocked in Egypt by Israel's refusal to let it enter. Mohammed Dahlan, an exiled Gaza politician who used his Trump administration ties to help negotiate the framework, was angered by the rejection.

Disputed figures and ongoing violence

Israel controls a disputed share of Gaza's 365 square kilometres: AP reports roughly 60%, the Irish Times over 65%, France 24 puts it at 70%. Since the October 2025 ceasefire that ended large-scale Israeli operations and freed remaining hostages, Palestinian deaths have continued. AP cites over 1,250 killed per Gaza's Health Ministry, the Irish Times reports some 1,200. Israeli airstrikes have eased recently, though the respite's duration is uncertain. For seven days after Mladenov met Netanyahu, Israel did not attack Hamas, yet not a single Hamas fighter turned in a weapon.

Political pressures on both sides

Netanyahu faces Israeli elections in less than three months; any compromise with Hamas could prove fatal for his reelection in a country traumatized by the October 7, 2023 attack. Bowing to far-right cabinet pressure, he insists Hamas must be entirely defeated before any withdrawal. Trump, facing US congressional elections in November with the Iran war stalled and gas prices elevated, has staked political capital on peacemaking. Vice President JD Vance has let it be known he is deeply sceptical of the Gaza strategy. On Monday, August 10, Trump said he maintained "good relations" with Netanyahu.

Allies and analysts question US leverage

A European diplomat, granted anonymity, said the solution is not as close as anticipated.

“The solution is not as close as anticipated or as Trump told us at some point. I think Trump is losing credibility.”

Hildegard Bentele, a German MEP, praised Mladenov's work and said the plan could progress if re-submitted after Israeli elections. Nimrod Novik, formerly an adviser to Shimon Peres and now at the Israel Policy Forum, said Netanyahu is "testing the tolerance of the American or Board of Peace team." Zaha Hassan, who advised Palestinian negotiators, questioned whether the US can restrain Israel if it cannot get it to withdraw from Gaza.

“It's really a Trump personal enterprise. So if it can't get Israel to stand down in Gaza, to withdraw, to allow the Board of Peace to do its work, how can any other regional actor believe that the U.S. can restrain Israel in their neighborhood?”

Denis Charbit, a political science professor at the Open University of Israel, said nobody in Israel believes Hamas is serious about disarmament.

“Nobody in Israel thinks for a single second, even on the left, that Hamas is serious when it talks about disarmament.”