Netanyahu rejects Trump Gaza plan, says Israel will not withdraw before Hamas disarmed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected US President Donald Trump's 15-point peace plan for Gaza, saying Israel will not withdraw its forces until Hamas is "genuinely" and effectively disarmed.

The roadmap, which includes the creation of a "Board of Peace" to oversee reconstruction and disarmament in Gaza, has exposed conflicting conditions between Israel and Hamas as negotiators seek a way to end the war, says the BBC.

Hamas has expressed a commitment to the plan but says the surrender of its heavy weapons is conditional on Israel ending its military actions and withdrawing its forces from Gaza.

Netanyahu is also facing pressure from members of his right-wing governing coalition, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has rejected the current draft as unacceptable.

The disagreements have left the plan facing a diplomatic deadlock, despite support from international diplomats involved in the process who say it remains the "only way forward" to provide long-term security and prevent a repeat of the 7 October 2023 attacks.

The dispute centres on the sequencing of disarmament and an Israeli military withdrawal. Israel is insisting that Hamas be effectively disarmed before its forces leave, while Hamas has tied the surrender of heavy weapons to an end to Israeli military action and a withdrawal.

The impasse comes as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues. About 90% of the population has been displaced and tens of thousands of people have been killed since the war began, according to the information provided.

The competing demands leave key elements of the proposed framework unresolved, including how and when Hamas would be disarmed, when Israeli forces would withdraw and how reconstruction would be overseen.