Netanyahu formally rejects U.S.-backed Gaza disarmament plan

Benjamin Netanyahu said on August 5 that Israel had not accepted a U.S.-backed arrangement for Hamas to disarm in Gaza, hardening a dispute over whether Israeli forces or Hamas should move first. In a video posted to social media, the Israeli prime minister said the proposal sent by President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace was a draft and not an agreed text. The remark came after Hamas accepted the framework last week and after a Board of Peace envoy met Netanyahu on Monday. It also came as food and other goods reappeared in some Gaza markets, even as many Palestinians remained unable to afford them. ### What, exactly, did Netanyahu reject? Netanyahu said Israel “did not agree” to the plan and would not leave its current positions in Gaza until Hamas disarms, according to reports on August 5. He said Trump’s team “sent us a draft” and that Israel responded with comments rather than approval. RTÉ reported that Netanyahu said the U.S. team believed it could secure Hamas’s disarmament and Gaza’s demilitarization, while Netanyahu said Israel was still examining that effort. (rte.ie) The dispute centers on sequencing. The Board of Peace framework released on July 31 said the parties would prepare a timetable and implementation mechanisms for “Phase 2” within 14 days after all sides approve the roadmap. The text said an International Verification Committee would certify compliance before moving ahead, and that the process aimed at complete Israeli withdrawal, restoration of normal life and Palestinian governance in Gaza. (rte.ie) ### Why is the sequence of disarmament and withdrawal the sticking point? Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza, said in March that the proposal was built on “reciprocity” and that decommissioning would proceed in parallel with a staged Israeli withdrawal. He said the proposal addressed rockets, heavy munitions and tunnels first, with personal weapons handled later through registration and collection. (timesofisrael.com) That structure has become the core of the current impasse. Netanyahu has said Israel will not withdraw first, while the U.S.-backed framework envisions linked steps verified by an international mechanism. Newsweek, in the briefing material provided, summarized the deadlock as a “you first” problem: Netanyahu says Hamas must disarm first, while Hamas says Israel must withdraw first. (timesofisrael.com) ### What role did the Board of Peace envoy play this week? Mladenov met Netanyahu on Monday as mediators tried to salvage the arrangement after new Israeli strikes in Gaza. Time reported that Mladenov urged Netanyahu to stop attacking Gaza and that an Israeli official said after the meeting that Israel would not withdraw from the current line in the strip and would continue acting against threats. (rte.ie) Religion News Service, cited in the source briefing, reported that the envoy urged a halt to strikes and that Egypt, Qatar and Turkey condemned recent Israeli attacks. Those three countries were also identified by The Times of Israel in March as mediators involved with the United States in the disarmament proposal. (time.com) ### What does the plan say would happen on the ground in Gaza? The July 31 roadmap said a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza would enter the strip and assume responsibilities after the timetable and implementation mechanisms were completed. The text also said the Board of Peace would establish an International Verification Committee with representatives from guarantors, the Board and an International Stabilization Force. (religionnews.com) Time reported that the broader roadmap included transferring Gaza’s civilian and security functions to a technocratic committee, deploying an International Stabilization Force and starting reconstruction. Trump called the agreement “historic” when it was released, according to the full text published by The Times of Israel. (timesofisrael.com) ### If goods are back in some markets, why are Gazans still struggling? Al Jazeera reported on August 5 that goods had returned to some Gaza markets but that many displaced Palestinians still could not afford food because prices remained high and incomes were scarce. That means the return of commerce has not translated into broad purchasing power for families displaced by the war. (timesofisrael.com) Time reported that Palestinian health officials said Israeli airstrikes over the weekend killed more than two dozen Palestinians, underscoring how the diplomatic dispute is unfolding alongside continued violence. The same report said the October 2025 ceasefire had been intended to halt fighting after a war that had already caused mass casualties. (aljazeera.com) ### What happens next? Israeli media reports cited by RTÉ said Netanyahu had moved to convene the security cabinet on August 5, but that the meeting was postponed to August 6. RTÉ also reported that two far-right ministers, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlement Minister Orit Strook, asked for a new vote on the proposal. (time.com) The roadmap itself sets one immediate milestone. The July 31 text said the parties would have 14 days after approval to finalize the timetable and implementation mechanisms for Phase 2, placing the next formal step on Israel, Hamas, the Board of Peace and the proposed verification body if the sides can still agree to proceed. (timesofisrael.com) (rte.ie)