Why Israel Said No to the US Plan for Gaza

On August 9, 2026, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said no to a US-backed plan for Gaza. He said Israel will not pull its military out of Gaza until Hamas — the armed group that controls Gaza — gives up all its weapons. Netanyahu announced this at a cabinet meeting and repeated it in a video on his Facebook page, saying Israel would not withdraw "from our current lines" until Hamas is completely disarmed (The Guardian; Times of Israel).

The plan was announced by US President Donald Trump at the end of July 2026. Trump said on social media that it would involve the "complete disarmament" of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. The plan has 14 points and was posted by a group called the Board of Peace on X. It calls on Israel, Hamas, and other Palestinian groups to stop all fighting, sets up an international team to check that both sides follow through, and gives 14 days to start putting the plan into action (The Guardian).

Here is the key idea: the plan links Israeli withdrawal and Hamas giving up weapons as steps that happen together, over time. Disarmament would be gradual — happening in stages over eight months — and would include destroying Gaza's underground tunnels. As Israel pulls back, control of Gaza would pass to a group called the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a panel of Palestinian professionals set up by the Board of Peace in January and based in Cairo (The Guardian; Reuters).

Netanyahu's problem is with the order of events. He wants Hamas to give up all its weapons first, before Israel moves any troops. He called for "real disarmament, not fictitious disarmament." He told his cabinet that Israel is talking with the US about its objections, saying some American ideas are acceptable and others are not. His bottom line: Israel will not leave its military positions unless disarmament is actually done, not just promised (The Guardian).

The plan was designed so both sides would move at the same time, like two people stepping toward each other in a doorway — neither has to go first. But Hamas also has its own condition. On July 31, 2026, Hamas said it would put its weapons into storage only after Israel starts carrying out the agreement. So each side is saying: you first (Reuters).

A Hamas official told AFP that the US must pressure Israel to accept the plan, urging mediators and the American guarantor to compel Netanyahu to follow the roadmap (The Guardian).

Netanyahu has been unclear about the Trump plan from the beginning. At a White House meeting with Trump on September 29, 2025, he said that if Hamas agreed to the plan, Israel would make a small withdrawal first, then all hostages would be released within 72 hours. A few days later, on October 4, 2025, he said Hamas would be disarmed "either via a diplomatic route according to the Trump plan or otherwise," which left the military option open (Israeli Government; Embassy of Israel).

As of July 31, 2026, Netanyahu had never publicly endorsed the plan, according to Reuters. In May 2026, he announced plans to expand Israel's military control of Gaza, which Hamas called a "dangerous escalation." Israeli officials who favor a harder military approach saw pressure as the only way to force Hamas to disarm and reach a lasting arrangement (Reuters; Reuters).

The broader picture is a standoff where both sides have opposite demands. The Board of Peace plan tried to solve this by tying both actions to a shared schedule with international checks. Netanyahu's rejection on August 9 pulls that apart: he wants disarmament finished before any withdrawal, while Hamas wants Israel to act first. The plan's 14-day start period and eight-month disarmament timeline now face a test that neither side appears willing to begin.

The question now is what Washington will do. Will it push Netanyahu harder, accept changes to the plan, or let it quietly drop? Netanyahu's statement that some US ideas are acceptable leaves some room to negotiate, but his refusal to withdraw before disarmament is firm. For the Trump administration, which presented the plan as a finished deal, Israel's rejection means choosing between pressuring a close ally or adjusting the plan to fit Netanyahu's demands. Either choice has downsides the original plan was meant to avoid.