Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country does not accept the 15-point plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump for resolving the situation in the Gaza Strip. The withdrawal of Israeli troops will not occur until Hamas is genuinely disarmed, he emphasized at a cabinet meeting on Sunday, according to the website infohub.kz.
"Israel does not accept this 15-point document," Netanyahu was quoted as saying. He added that the Israel Defense Forces "will not carry out any withdrawal of troops until Hamas is genuinely disarmed, and will continue to thwart threats against our troops and our citizens."
Earlier, in July, the "Peace Council" proposed by Trump announced that an agreement had been reached on the "full disarmament" of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. However, Hamas stated it was ready to hand over heavy weapons only on the condition that Israel cease "all forms of aggression" and withdraw troops from the enclave. A senior official of the group confirmed to Reuters that the organization remains committed to the peace plan agreed upon in Cairo in July.
At the time, Trump called it a "monumental step toward lasting peace and security." But Netanyahu insists that disarmament must precede the withdrawal of troops and rejects the possibility of "fictitious disarmament." He said he is in talks with U.S. officials about next steps: "They have ideas; some are acceptable to us, and some are not, and we know how to defend our position on these matters."
Since the initial ceasefire agreement in October last year, Israel has continued to strike Gaza. Ahead of elections in Israel, the prime minister is unlikely to make concessions. His far-right allies, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who called the plan "unacceptable," are demanding a new cabinet vote and rejection of the Gaza plan.
This is another blow to Trump's peace plan, presented in September last year. The plan envisioned the creation of a "Peace Council" to oversee the implementation of the agreement, the disarmament of Hamas, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, and the reconstruction of Gaza.