Netanyahu rejects US-backed Gaza peace plan, handing Hamas a diplomatic win

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Sunday that Israel does not accept the 15-point Gaza peace plan unveiled by US President Donald Trump in July, even though Hamas had agreed to it more than a week earlier. The plan called for Hamas to gradually surrender its weapons in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a territory currently about 70% controlled by the Israeli military.

Netanyahu insisted the Israel Defense Forces would not withdraw until Hamas undergoes "genuine" disarmament, covering both heavy and light weaponry. Under the plan, overseeing that arsenal would fall to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a Palestinian technocratic body created in January that has so far been barred from entering Gaza and remains stuck in Egypt.

Political calculations

Analysts point to domestic and personal factors behind Netanyahu's decision. Israel heads to elections on October 27, its first since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks, while Netanyahu himself faces ongoing corruption, fraud and breach of trust charges in three separate cases. Far-right figures in his government, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have called for a full occupation of Gaza.

Experts say the rejection has allowed Hamas to portray itself as a "reasonable actor," bolstering its standing with Arab nations that had previously been ready to blame it for the diplomatic impasse. Tensions between Trump and Netanyahu were already evident before this rejection — Axios reported in June that Trump had used harsh language about Netanyahu during a phone call.

Uncertainty persists

Despite the formal rejection, Israel's military has scaled back the intensity of its strikes on Gaza since early August, and Israel has said its forces will act only against what it deems immediate threats. Egypt has urged all parties to honour their commitments. Observers describe the current situation as a "grey zone," suggesting neither Israel's refusal nor Hamas's earlier acceptance should be taken entirely at face value.