JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has turned down a 15-point U.S.-backed plan for Gaza, saying Israeli troops will stay in their current positions until Hamas has been fully disarmed.
Netanyahu said Saturday that his government had formally rejected the latest draft put forward by President Donald Trump. Israel instead presented counter-proposals centered on its security demands, challenging the timetable outlined for an Israeli military withdrawal.
“We will remain in our positions until the total disarmament of Hamas is achieved,” the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement.
The decision comes as regional tensions intensify, with reports that Israel is preparing for the possibility of taking unilateral military action against Iran. During a recent visit to Israel by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Admiral Brad Cooper, Israeli officials reportedly said Tel Aviv retains the option of resuming operations against Tehran if it concludes that additional measures are needed to protect its national security.
Analysts say the dispute over the Gaza framework highlights an increasingly visible gap between Washington’s effort to establish a diplomatic off-ramp and Israel’s “maximalist” approach to security.
Although a ceasefire remains in place, military sources say Israel and the United States have kept contingency plans for renewed strikes on Iranian targets. The moves underscore the fragility of the regional calm, with neither the Gaza conflict nor the wider confrontation with Iran resolved.
AXADLETM
