But a Senior Hamas Official Previously Told NPR That the Group Would Only Hand Over Weapons If Israel Withdrew From Parts of Gaza First

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected President Trump's 15-point peace plan for Gaza, saying Israeli forces will not withdraw until Hamas is "genuinely disarmed. "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 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, Trump wrote on social media in late July. Under the proposed deal, Board of Peace officials said Hamas and other militant groups would hand their arms to a vetted international policing force. But a senior Hamas official previously told NPR that the group would only hand over weapons if Israel withdrew from parts of Gaza first.

The dispute follows an initial ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas in October 2025, alongside Trump's broader 20-point Gaza plan. That first phase 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. including Hamas's disarmament and further Israeli withdrawals—were left to later negotiations.

Trump's new 15-point roadmap, published on July 31, envisioned Israel's withdrawal and Hamas's disarmament as part of a phased process. The Board of Peace had already backed Netanyahu on that key point, saying on Aug. 3 that Israeli forces would not withdraw beyond the Yellow Line until Hamas's weapons were fully decommissioned.

Netanyahu's emphasis comes less than three months before Israel's Oct. 27 election, with polls showing his coalition at risk of losing its majority. Israel still controls roughly 70% of Gaza, according to Palestinian officials and aid agencies.

Hamas released a press statement Sunday saying it was still committed "to the roadmap agreed upon in the agreement. NPR's Anas Baba contributed from Gaza.