Netanyahu Rejects Gaza Disarmament Proposal, Says Israel Never Approved Hamas Plan
Israeli Prime Minister says the US backed plan was only reviewed with amendments as Jerusalem refuses to halt military operations in Gaza.
JERUSALEM, Aug 5: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a US-backed proposal aimed at securing the gradual disarmament of Hamas in exchange for a phased Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, asserting that Israel neither authored nor accepted the framework.
In a video statement shared on Facebook, Netanyahu clarified that the proposal originated from US President Donald Trump’s administration and was forwarded to Israel for review. According to the Israeli leader, Jerusalem returned the document with its own observations rather than endorsing it.
“We received a draft from the Trump administration for consideration. It was not written by Israel, and we did not approve it. We submitted our comments and amendments,” Netanyahu said, as quoted by Israeli media.
The Prime Minister also reiterated that Israel has no intention of withdrawing from Gaza at this stage, maintaining that military operations will continue until the country’s security objectives are achieved.
The remarks expose one of the most significant public differences between Netanyahu and Trump over the future of Gaza, despite close cooperation between the two governments on regional security matters.
The proposal, presented under the Board of Peace initiative, envisioned Hamas surrendering its weapons in stages under international supervision while Israeli forces gradually pulled back from the territory. In return, Gaza would transition toward governance under a newly established Palestinian administration working alongside the international peace body.
Earlier, Trump had described the initiative as a major opportunity to end years of conflict, saying it would provide Palestinians with a pathway toward stable governance while ensuring that Gaza could no longer serve as a launchpad for attacks against Israel.
Following the announcement, Board of Peace Director General Nickolay Mladenov travelled to Jerusalem and urged Israeli authorities to suspend military operations for two weeks to create space for negotiations with Hamas. However, the discussions failed to produce a breakthrough.
A senior US official had also cautioned that Washington expected Israel to cooperate with the initiative, arguing that the disarmament framework aligned with Trump’s broader 20 point Gaza peace roadmap, which US officials believe Israel had broadly supported in the past.
In an effort to revive negotiations, senior representatives of the Board of Peace returned to Jerusalem this week for another round of talks with Netanyahu. After the meetings, the organisation indicated its willingness to revise parts of the proposal, including the timeline for Israeli troop withdrawals, in hopes of narrowing differences between the parties.
The current framework proposes that Israeli forces would withdraw in stages beginning with a return to the Yellow Line established during the October 2025 ceasefire, while Hamas would gradually hand over its arsenal under international monitoring. It also calls for Israel to suspend military operations once the agreement comes into effect.
Israeli officials have objected to a complete halt in military activity. However, reports suggest the government has discussed stricter operational protocols requiring approval from the Israel Defense Forces’ chief of staff before individual strikes are authorised.
Netanyahu did not directly comment on those reported adjustments but reaffirmed that Israel would continue taking every measure it considers necessary to protect its citizens and respond to security threats.
The renewed diplomatic efforts highlight the continuing challenge of finding common ground between international mediators, Israel and Hamas, with key disagreements over security guarantees and the sequence of implementing any future agreement still unresolved.
