Trump's Gaza plan hits Netanyahu wall over Hamas disarmament

The White House's carefully crafted 15-point plan for Gaza has run straight into a familiar obstacle: Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to budge. The Israeli Prime Minister on Monday rejected the proposal outright, vowing that Israeli troops will not pull out of the enclave until Hamas is completely disarmed.

The rejection marks a rare public breach between Washington and its closest Middle East ally, and it raises fresh doubts about the viability of any post-war arrangement for the battered strip.

A plan built on two pillars

The American proposal, first floated by President Donald Trump's envoy team, rests on a simple but explosive trade-off. Hamas would lay down its weapons, and in return, Israeli forces would begin a phased withdrawal from Gaza. The idea is to break the cycle of violence that has consumed the territory for years.

US officials have described the plan as a 'comprehensive framework' — one that would also address reconstruction, governance, and the return of displaced Palestinians. But none of that matters if the two central demands cannot be synchronised.

Netanyahu, however, is not buying it. In a blunt statement, he made clear that any discussion of withdrawal is premature until Hamas's military capacity is dismantled, not just promised.

Public rift, private tensions

The Israeli leader's veto has exposed the limits of American leverage in the region. Despite decades of military aid and diplomatic backing, Washington has found that it cannot simply dictate terms to Jerusalem — especially on matters of security.

Trump, for his part, has insisted that his relationship with Netanyahu remains 'very good'. But the public disagreement tells a different story. When a president's signature initiative is rejected within hours of being presented, the cracks are hard to paper over.

Analysts note that this is not the first time the two leaders have clashed over Gaza. But the stakes now are higher, with thousands of lives and the region's stability hanging in the balance.

What Hamas wants

Hamas, meanwhile, has given no public indication that it is willing to disarm. For the militant group, weapons are not just a military asset — they are a political identity. Surrendering them would effectively mean accepting the end of its armed resistance, a step it has refused to take for decades.

That leaves the plan in a bind. Israel demands disarmament before withdrawal; Hamas demands withdrawal before disarmament. The US proposal was meant to break that deadlock, but it has instead highlighted just how deep the mistrust runs.

Palestinian civilians in Gaza, who have borne the brunt of the fighting, now face the grim prospect of more delays in reconstruction and aid. Schools, hospitals, and homes remain in ruins, and the political gridlock offers little hope of swift relief.

Washington's options narrow

With Netanyahu's veto, the White House is left with few attractive choices. It could push harder, risking a full-blown diplomatic crisis with Israel. Or it could let the plan quietly die, which would be a major embarrassment for Trump's foreign policy team.

There is also the possibility of a revised plan — one that gives Israel more time or reorders the sequence of steps. But any such adjustment would likely be seen by Hamas as a capitulation to Israeli pressure, making it even harder to secure the group's cooperation.

Officials in Washington have not yet confirmed whether they will alter the proposal or press ahead with it unchanged. The silence suggests intense internal deliberation.

For now, the 15-point plan remains on paper, and Gaza remains in limbo. The next move could come from either side — or from the wider region, where Egypt and Qatar have traditionally played mediator roles. Whether Trump can salvage his initiative, or whether Netanyahu's veto proves final, is a question that will define the coming weeks.