Netanyahu rejects Trump's Gaza peace plan: 'Not our draft'
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza has hit a major roadblock. In his first public comments on the matter, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the draft terms, stating that Israel won't withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed. The agreement, which Trump had hailed as a "major milestone" last week, envisioned a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and disarmament of Hamas.
Disarmament disagreement
'President Trump thinks...': Netanyahu on rejected Hamas disarmament draft
Netanyahu clarified that Israel hasn't accepted the Board of Peace's terms for Hamas disarmament.
He said, "President Trump thinks, or his team thinks, that they can get Hamas to disarm and demilitarize Gaza. We are looking into it. They sent us a draft. We did not agree to it. It was not our draft. We sent back our comments."
The prime minister admitted that while they received a draft from the Board of Peace, it wasn't agreed upon by Israel.
Territorial dispute
Israel has expanded its control to 2-thirds of Gaza
Under the original deal, Israel was to retreat to a demarcation line called the Yellow Line, a territory that constitutes approximately 52% of the entire Gaza Strip.
However, instead of withdrawing, Israel has expanded its control to about two-thirds of Gaza.
The Board of Peace on Monday hailed a "constructive and detailed" meeting between Netanyahu, Israeli officials and Gaza envoy Nikolay Mladenov, emphasizing that complete disarmament is essential for transitioning from military rule to civilian governance.
Disarmament debate
Hamas refuses to accept 'disarmament' term, Israeli ministers skeptical
Hamas has rejected the term "disarmament" but said it is willing to hand over its weapons under a US-backed Palestinian administration after Israel halts operations.
Netanyahu's office has previously raised concerns with Washington about the disarmament plan, stressing that "nothing can happen before Hamas completely and truly disarms."
President Trump met Netanyahu in Washington last Tuesday, but Gaza wasn't discussed, a source told Reuters.