Peace Council, an Initiative Launched by U.s. President Donald Trump, Which Calls for the Disarmament of Hamas and the Withdrawal of Israeli

Israel rejects the 15-point document, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. "The Israeli army will not withdraw at all until Hamas is disarmed, he added, referring explicitly to all weapons, not just heavy ones. Netanyahu also reiterated his opposition to an independent Palestinian state.

The council had said nearly a week ago that it expected Israel to fully withdraw from the coastal strip only after Hamas is disarmed. Under the council's roadmap, Israel and Hamas would cease hostilities, and a Palestinian transitional administration, supported by an international stabilization force, would take control of governance and security. The plan also envisions an Israeli military withdrawal, with weapons handed over by Hamas under international supervision remaining under Palestinian control—a condition Israel rejects, demanding instead that weapons be removed from Gaza.

Hamas has tied the handover of heavy weapons to conditions including an Israeli withdrawal and the establishment of a Palestinian state. The internationally staffed "Board of Peace was created earlier this year under a U.S.-brokered plan to oversee Gaza's reconstruction and post-war order in the heavily destroyed territory. Netanyahu's rejection marks a setback for the initiative.