Key Highlights

  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally rejected President Trump's 15-point Gaza peace plan, saying Israeli forces will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed.
  • Israel has scaled back military operations in Gaza since a meeting between Netanyahu and Trump's Gaza envoy, halting targeted assassinations while continuing to act against what it considers immediate threats.
  • Hamas said it remains committed to the roadmap agreed in Cairo, calling on mediators and the United States to press Israel to adhere to its own commitments under the plan.
  • More than 1,250 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since an October 2025 ceasefire, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health officials, while four Israeli soldiers have been killed over the same period.

Netanyahu Formally Rejects the 15-Point Roadmap

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu restated his rejection of President Trump's Gaza peace plan in televised remarks to his cabinet on Sunday, saying "Israel does not accept the 15-point document." He said Israeli forces "will not carry out any Withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed... it means heavy weaponry, lighter weaponry, all weaponry." The rejection follows similar remarks Netanyahu made earlier in the week and comes as he faces a competitive re-election vote scheduled for October 27th, with polls showing his coalition at risk of losing its majority. Netanyahu said Israel remains in talks with the United States on the plan, adding that "they have ideas, some of which are acceptable to us and some of which are unacceptable to us, and we know how to stand firm against these things."

Israel Scales Back Gaza Operations Despite Rejection

Despite the public rejection, Israel has scaled back its military operations in Gaza since a meeting earlier in the week between Netanyahu and Trump's Gaza envoy overseeing the ceasefire. Israel has reportedly agreed that its military will act only against what it perceives as immediate threats and will no longer carry out the targeted assassinations it had been conducting on a near-daily basis. The envoy said discussions on the roadmap remain ongoing. Trump announced last month what he described as a breakthrough agreement under which Hamas would lay down its weapons as part of a phased process involving Israeli withdrawal, though disagreement has since emerged over the plan's sequencing and timeline.

Hamas Maintains Commitment While Pressing for Israeli Compliance

A senior Hamas official said the group remains committed to the roadmap agreed in Cairo ten days earlier, calling on mediators and the United States to press Netanyahu's government to adhere to the plan rather than obstruct it "for internal political and electoral reasons." Hamas has avoided using the term "disarmament," saying instead that it agreed to hand over weapons to be stored under a US-backed Palestinian technocratic administration that would govern Gaza under the supervision of Trump's Board of Peace. Hamas has said implementation of the deal depends on Israel first meeting its own commitments, including withdrawal and a halt to attacks. Israel's far-right finance minister praised Netanyahu's stance, saying in a statement that "the military cannot withdraw even a millimetre from the Gaza Strip."

Humanitarian Toll Continues Amid Ceasefire Complications

Since the US-mediated ceasefire reached in October 2025, more than 1,250 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health officials; Hamas has not disclosed its own fighter casualties, while four Israeli soldiers have been killed over the same period. Israeli troops have occupied and depopulated roughly two-thirds of the Gaza Strip, leaving nearly all of its more than 2 million residents confined to a narrow strip of land under Hamas control along the coast, most living in makeshift tents or damaged buildings.