"Disarmament of Hamas Comes First": Netanyahu Publicly Rejects Trump’s Peace Plan

"Complete Disarmament of Hamas Must Come First"
Netanyahu Draws a Line on the U.S. Proposal
Conflict Between Trump and Netanyahu Rekindled

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected the 15-point Gaza peace proposal led by U.S. President Donald Trump on the 9th (local time). He opposed the U.S. plan to swap Hamas’s disarmament for a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces, firmly stating, "Complete disarmament of Hamas must come first."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is delivering a speech at the residence of U.S. President Donald Trump (right) on December 29, 2025. Photo by AP Yonhap News

According to the New York Times (NYT), Netanyahu stated during a cabinet meeting that day, "Let me be clear. Israel rejects the 15-point document." He also emphasized, "The Israeli military will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed," adding, "I am talking about real disarmament, which means laying down all weapons, including heavy and light arms."

The peace committee led by President Trump announced at the end of last month that it had reached a 15-point agreement with Hamas. The main point is that if Hamas gradually surrenders and stores its heavy weapons and hands them over to a new Palestinian administration, Israel would also withdraw in stages from more than half the areas of Gaza that it has controlled since the ceasefire in October last year.

The main issue is the sequence of disarmament and troop withdrawal. While the U.S. plan links Israel’s ceasefire obligations with the gradual disarmament of Hamas, Prime Minister Netanyahu maintains that the withdrawal can only begin after Hamas has laid down all of its weapons first. The agreement stipulated that a specific disarmament schedule should be finalized within 14 days after approval by all parties, but since Israel has rejected the entire plan, the possibility of implementation has become uncertain.

Foreign media outlets assessed that this clash revealed once again the rift between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu. The two leaders began a war with Iran together at the end of February, but have since repeatedly clashed over methods for ending the conflict, as well as Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon. President Trump described the 15-point agreement as a "major breakthrough" last month, but Prime Minister Netanyahu opposed the proposal from the very beginning when it was announced.

Nevertheless, the U.S. side maintains that there is still room for cooperation. A member of the peace committee told the NYT that despite Netanyahu's public rejection, Israel has cooperated on the ground, citing the recent reduction in air strikes on Gaza. Netanyahu's domestic political situation is also seen as a factor influencing his tough stance. Israel is scheduled to hold a general election on October 27 this year. This will be about three years since the Gaza war began with the Hamas attack in October 2023.

Hamas, for its part, blamed Israel for the current deadlock in negotiations. Senior Hamas official Husam Badran stated that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s refusal to implement the 15-point peace plan that day "proves that the main obstacle to progress on this plan is not the Palestinian side, but Israel."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.