UPDATE Netanyahu Rejects Trump Gaza Plan, but Talks Continue Picture courtesy of Newsweek Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a 15-point US-backed roadmap for disarming Hamas in Gaza, but senior US officials and Israeli political observers said the stance is unlikely to end the process. The White House has not issued an official response. A senior US official, quoted by Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, said Washington was “not bothered” by Netanyahu’s remarks and framed them as election-focused rhetoric as Israel heads for a general election on 27 October. The official added that Washington expects Israel to continue following US requests, “especially regarding restraining attacks in Gaza”, according to the report. In recent days, Israel’s strikes in Gaza appeared to slow, after Hamas had demanded that Israel pause as part of its acceptance of the US roadmap. Possible movement on the stabilisation forceThere are also signs Israel may be preparing to advance Trump’s Gaza plan, including arrangements for the deployment of the International Stabilization Force (ISF). The force would comprise international troops expected to work with a new Palestinian police service to secure the territory. Israeli public radio, Kan News, reported that construction of the first ISF base is still scheduled to begin at the end of this month in the area of Rafah in southern Gaza, amid the ruins there. That would allow reconstruction to start, according to the report. Picture courtesy of BBC In July, Donald Trump said the Board of Peace had reached a “major milestone” toward ending the war. Posting on his Truth Social platform, the US president said the framework calls for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in Gaza. The plan is intended to be implemented in phases. It envisages all weapons being decommissioned and stored by a new Palestinian administration in Gaza, which would report to the Board of Peace, while Israeli forces withdraw from more than 60% of the territory they currently control. Senior Hamas officials confirmed they had agreed to the framework, stressing that it depended on mutual compliance by Israel. The UK welcomed the announcement, and the European Union said it was a “crucial step”. Israel’s delayed response and Netanyahu’s conditionsIsrael took more than a week to provide a formal response to the roadmap. An Israeli spokesman said the plan did not “reflect Israel’s positions”. A far-right government minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said on X that the deal was “unacceptable”. Mainstream opposition figures in Israel also voiced concerns, including over whether all small arms would be decommissioned and how the sequence of steps would work in practice. Join the discussion? 11 August 2026
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