Israel has rejected US President Donald Trump’s 15-point plan for Gaza and will not withdraw its forces from the territory until Hamas is fully disarmed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting on August 9, Netanyahu said Israel would not accept what he described as a “fictitious” disarmament process and insisted that Hamas must genuinely disarm before Israeli forces withdraw. The development is a setback to efforts to advance the next phase of Trump’s broader Gaza peace initiative. Trump announced last month that an agreement had been reached for the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups as part of a 15-point document developed through the Board of Peace. However, disagreements remain over the sequence of disarmament and Israeli withdrawal. Hamas has said it will not proceed with disarmament before Israel withdraws from Gaza, while Israel has demanded the complete disarmament of Hamas and demilitarisation of the territory before moving ahead with withdrawal. Netanyahu said Israel was continuing discussions with US officials over the way forward, adding that some proposals were acceptable to Israel while others were not. The broader Gaza framework includes Hamas disarmament, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, reconstruction of Gaza and governance by a Palestinian civilian administration, with an international force envisaged to assist with security. Despite a ceasefire reached last October, Israeli strikes in Gaza have continued amid repeated accusations by both sides of violations of the agreement.(Newswire) The post Israel rejects Trump’s 15-point Gaza plan, Netanyahu says appeared first on Newswire.
