Netanyahu rejects Trump's Gaza Peace Plan, demands Hamas disarm first

Middle East Netanyahu rejects Trump's Gaza Peace Plan, demands Hamas disarm first August 9, 20262:21 PM ET By  Rebecca Rosman President Donald Trump listens as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption toggle caption Alex Brandon/AP Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected President Trump's 15-point peace plan for Gaza, saying Israeli forces will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is "genuinely disarmed." Middle East Trump's Gaza peace plan appears to be stalling as parties debate logistics "We are talking about genuine disarmament, not fictitious disarmament," he said at a meeting with government ministers Sunday. Netanyahu's comments come just over a week after President Trump announced that his Board of Peace had reached a deal with the Palestinian militant group to completely give up its weapons. "Today, the Board of Peace reached a HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza. This is a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY," Trump wrote on social media in late July. Sponsor Message Under Trump's proposed peace deal, Board of Peace officials said Hamas and other militant groups would hand their arms over to a vetted international policing force. But a senior Hamas official previously told NPR that the group would only hand over their weapons if Israel withdrew from parts of Gaza first. The latest dispute follows an initial ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas in October 2025, alongside Trump's broader 20-point Gaza plan. That first phase of the peace plan halted major fighting, provided for the release of remaining hostages in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, increased humanitarian aid, and called for a partial Israeli withdrawal. More contentious issues – including Hamas's disarmament and further Israeli withdrawals – were left to later negotiations...