Netanyahu rejects US‑backed plan tying Hamas disarmament to Israeli pullback

Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday publicly rejected a U.S.-backed Gaza plan that tied Israeli troop withdrawal to Hamas’s disarmament, reopening a dispute that has defined the latest round of ceasefire diplomacy. Netanyahu said Israel had not agreed to the proposal, according to The National and Euronews. The plan had been presented in recent days as a framework under which Hamas would give up its weapons and Israeli forces would then leave Gaza. Israeli military messaging later the same day added to the uncertainty, with Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir saying the army would continue operating inside the enclave. ### What exactly did Netanyahu reject? The National reported on August 5 that Netanyahu rejected a U.S.-backed Hamas disarmament deal under which Israel would withdraw from Gaza after Hamas had fully surrendered its weapons. The outlet said Israel’s position remained that it would not leave Gaza until Hamas had completely disarmed. Al Jazeera reported on August 4 that the U.S.-led Board of Peace said an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza would take place only after Hamas’s disarmament was complete, following a meeting between the body’s director-general, Nickolay Mladenov, and Netanyahu. (thenationalnews.com) That formulation put the sequencing dispute in explicit terms: disarmament first, withdrawal after. ### Why is the argument still about sequence? Al Jazeera reported earlier this week that Israel says it will not leave Gaza unless Hamas completely disarms, while Hamas wants Israeli troops to pull out before it lays down its weapons. That leaves the two sides at odds over which side must move first. Al Jazeera also reported on July 30 that U.S. (aljazeera.com) President Donald Trump said the Board of Peace had reached an agreement on Hamas disarmament in Gaza and that Israel would withdraw once the group disarmed. Netanyahu’s rejection on Wednesday showed that public U.S. framing had not resolved Israel’s objections. (aljazeera.com) ### Why did the military’s statement matter? Euronews reported on August 5 that Eyal Zamir, chief of the general staff of the Israeli military, said the Israel Defense Forces would continue to “operate proactively” in Gaza. The statement came after Netanyahu said Israel had not agreed to the U.S.-backed plan. The National’s Gaza coverage page separately said Israeli media had reported that the military had been ordered to curtail strikes on Gaza. (aljazeera.com) Taken together, those reports left Israel’s operational posture publicly mixed on the same day that its political leadership rejected the proposed terms. ### Who is supposed to manage the plan? Al Jazeera identified the Board of Peace as the U.S.-led body presenting the disarmament-and-withdrawal formula, with Nickolay Mladenov meeting Netanyahu before the group said withdrawal would follow completed disarmament. (euronews.com) The available reports did not set out a publicly agreed verification mechanism for determining when disarmament would be complete. (thenationalnews.com) Al Jazeera’s earlier coverage said an International Stabilization Force would take control of security alongside a new Palestinian police force under the broader concept being discussed. That points to a second unresolved issue beyond sequencing: who would secure Gaza during any transition between Hamas rule and an Israeli pullback. (aljazeera.com) ### What happens next if neither side changes its order? August 5 ended with Netanyahu rejecting the plan in public and Zamir saying Israeli forces would keep operating in Gaza. The next visible test is whether the Board of Peace, Mladenov, U.S. officials or Israeli leaders publish clearer terms on verification, disarmament benchmarks and the conditions for any troop withdrawal. (thenationalnews.com) (aljazeera.com)