Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially rejected the 15-point US plan to continue the Gaza peace process on Sunday, August 9. Despite Hamas's agreement, the Israeli leader refuses any IDF withdrawal until the Palestinian Islamist movement has been "truly" and completely disarmed. This stance also reveals growing differences between Netanyahu and Donald Trump.
Benjamin Netanyahu has finally made his decision. After several days of reservations and criticism regarding the plan supported by Washington, the Israeli Prime Minister announced on Sunday, August 9, that Israel was rejecting in its current form the 15-point plan for Gaza championed by the Donald Trump administration.
“Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Benjamin Netanyahu declared at a cabinet meeting. He also drew a crucial red line: no Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip will be permitted before Hamas has effectively disarmed.
According to the Prime Minister, the IDF "will not proceed with any withdrawal until Hamas is truly disarmed" and will continue to act against threats targeting Israeli soldiers and citizens.
Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized the imperative nature of this condition. According to him, there could be no question of accepting a process that would allow Hamas to retain part of its arsenal. "We are talking about genuine disarmament, not a sham disarmament," he insisted.
Israeli disarmament and withdrawal at the heart of the disagreement
The main sticking point concerns the order in which the disarmament of Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli forces should take place.
The US-backed plan envisions a process leading to the surrender of weapons by Palestinian armed groups and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Donald Trump hailed Hamas's acceptance of the principle of disarmament in favor of a future Palestinian authority as a major step forward.
However, the implementation methods remain deeply contested.
Hamas is conditioning the surrender of its heavy weapons on the end of Israeli military operations and the withdrawal of IDF forces from Gaza. Israel argues the opposite: disarmament must be effective before any military withdrawal.
The Board of Peace, the body tasked with overseeing the implementation of the Washington-backed process, had already attempted to bridge the gap by clarifying that Israel would only be required to withdraw after "complete" disarmament. This clarification clearly failed to convince Benjamin Netanyahu.
For its part, Hamas maintains it remains committed to the process. A Hamas official stated that the organization was ready to participate "seriously and responsibly" in the plan's implementation.
Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas's political bureau, also called on international mediators and the United States to pressure the Israeli government so that the process would not, in his view, be blocked for domestic political reasons.
Netanyahu distances himself from Trump
Beyond Gaza, the Israeli Prime Minister's statement highlights a relationship that has become more complex with Donald Trump.
Benjamin Netanyahu, however, continues to present the American president as "our greatest friend in the White House." But he now openly asserts the right to oppose Washington when Israeli interests are, in his view, at stake.
"They have ideas; some are acceptable to us and others are not, and we know how to defend our position on these issues," the Prime Minister said, confirming that discussions with the American administration would continue.
This contrasts sharply with recent months, during which Benjamin Netanyahu had extensively emphasized his close ties with Donald Trump. Since his first term, the American president has made numerous decisions favorable to Israel, notably the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
But several disagreements gradually emerged, particularly regarding Iran. After supporting Israel against Tehran, Donald Trump had pushed for a ceasefire in the spring, as the conflict weighed on oil prices and became politically costly for the United States.
On this issue too, Netanyahu maintains a particularly firm line: "With or without an agreement, as long as I am Prime Minister, Iran will not have nuclear weapons," he declared on Sunday.
The Israeli elections as a backdrop
This confrontation comes less than three months before the Israeli elections scheduled for October 27. Benjamin Netanyahu, the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history, enters the election in a delicate political situation. Several opinion polls show him neck and neck with his opponents, or even trailing.
His right wing and the most radical members of his coalition are simultaneously demanding that he make no concessions on Gaza. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, in particular, deemed the American plan "unacceptable" and called for a reassessment of the process. In this political climate, accepting an Israeli withdrawal before the complete disarmament of Hamas would expose Netanyahu to particularly strong opposition from within his own party.
The October 27 election will also be the first held in Israel since the October 7, 2023 attack, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage during the Hamas offensive in southern Israel.
A truce that did not completely stop the fighting.
The 15-point plan represents a new step in the process initiated after the US-mediated ceasefire. This ceasefire reduced the intensity of Israeli operations in Gaza, but did not bring them to a complete end. Just this past Sunday, Israeli fire wounded a child in Khan Younis, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, administered by Hamas and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations, 1,258 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire came into effect. The Israeli army, for its part, reports having lost five soldiers during this period.
Since the start of the war, more than 73,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. The United Nations also estimates that approximately 1,9 million people, or nearly 90% of the enclave's population, have been displaced since October 2023.
Egypt, which plays a central role in the negotiations, called on all parties to respect their commitments and avoid any initiative that could jeopardize the progress made.
Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of the document does not necessarily mean the immediate demise of the diplomatic process. Discussions with Washington are continuing. But the disagreement now centers on a key issue: Israel demands that Hamas effectively lay down its arms before any IDF withdrawal, while the Palestinian movement links its disarmament to the end of Israeli operations and the withdrawal of forces from Gaza.
Just weeks before the Israeli elections, this divergence transforms Donald Trump's plan into a diplomatic, military and political issue for Benjamin Netanyahu.
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