Israel rejects US Gaza roadmap, demands Hamas disarm before troop withdrawal

Sunday 09 - 17:45

By: Sahili Aya

Israel rejects US Gaza roadmap, demands Hamas disarm before troop withdrawal

Israel has rejected the latest US-backed roadmap for Gaza, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisting that Israeli forces will not withdraw from Palestinian territory until Hamas has been fully disarmed.

The decision represents a major obstacle to the next phase of the proposed Gaza framework, which Hamas has said it is prepared to implement. The disagreement centres on the sequence of two key measures: Hamas relinquishing its weapons and Israeli forces carrying out a gradual withdrawal.

Netanyahu rejects 15-point proposal

Netanyahu announced the rejection of the 15-point document presented in late July by US President Donald Trump's so-called "Peace Council."

Speaking during a cabinet meeting, the Israeli prime minister said the army would not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas had undergone what he described as a genuine disarmament process.

The Israeli position comes after days of reservations from Netanyahu and growing political pressure from members of his right-wing coalition.

Israel's government has also been discussing its objections with Washington. Netanyahu said the United States had put forward ideas on the outstanding issues, but stressed that Israel would maintain its own position.

Hamas calls for US pressure on Israel

Hamas has taken a different position on the proposed sequence. The movement accepted the US roadmap, whose published version links Hamas' disarmament to a phased Israeli military withdrawal.

A Hamas official called on Washington to pressure Netanyahu's government to respect the framework and avoid allowing domestic political considerations to derail the process.

The group has historically favoured a gradual process for addressing its military arsenal rather than an immediate and unilateral surrender of its weapons.

Disarmament remains the central obstacle

The US proposal envisages the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a Palestinian technocratic body intended to oversee the territory during a transitional period, taking responsibility for the collection and storage of Hamas' weapons.

The committee is currently in Egypt, where its deployment to Gaza remains blocked by Israel.

Israeli concerns had already prompted discussions between Netanyahu and Nikolai Mladenov, a senior representative of the US-backed Peace Council for Gaza. Mladenov reportedly sought to reassure the Israeli leader that any withdrawal would follow a complete disarmament of Hamas.

Those assurances, however, failed to secure Israeli acceptance of the roadmap.

The dispute now leaves the proposed second phase of the Gaza plan facing a fundamental political and security impasse, with the two sides still divided over whether disarmament or troop withdrawal should come first.