Netanyahu Rejects US Plan for Gaza: Israeli Withdrawal Conditional on Hamas Disarmament

Israel has rejected the latest United States proposal to move to the next phase of the Gaza peace agreement, demanding that Hamas fully disarm.

During a cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would not accept the 15-point US document. He added that the Israeli military would not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas had been disarmed.

According to Netanyahu, the process must be genuine and include every category of weapon, from heavy to lighter arms.

“As long as I am prime minister, no Palestinian state will be established—neither in Gaza nor in the West Bank,” he declared.

The US administration’s proposal calls for the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, with the aim of enabling the transition to a new stage of the ceasefire agreement.

Hamas, for its part, has said it would accept the agreement only if Israel stops its attacks and withdraws its troops to the “yellow line” defined in the October ceasefire agreement.

Israeli forces continue to control more than half of the Gaza Strip, mainly the eastern and southern areas. Meanwhile, Israel and the US are continuing consultations on the plan, but the parties have yet to reach an agreement on the Israeli withdrawal and the disarmament of Hamas.