Netanyahu Rejects US-Backed Gaza Plan, Trump Board Head Insists It's Only Way Forward

A United States-backed plan for post-war Gaza remains the “only way forward” to prevent a repeat of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack, according to Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza. His remarks followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of the proposal on Sunday.

Speaking to Israel’s Channel 12 television, Mladenov said the proposed framework offered the only viable route to ensuring that such an attack did not happen again. He added that further discussions were underway and expressed hope that the negotiations would produce a positive outcome for all sides.

Under the proposal, Hamas would transfer its weapons to an emerging Palestinian governing body, while Israel would begin withdrawing from the war-damaged Gaza Strip. Netanyahu told his cabinet that he had rejected the plan, exposing differences between the Israeli government and the administration of US President Donald Trump despite their close political ties.

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Mladenov described the current phase of the arrangement as a commitment involving the United States, Hamas and the Board of Peace, without listing Israel as a participant. He also revised earlier language suggesting that Israel would begin a phased withdrawal while the disarmament process was underway.

The official reiterated an assurance given to Netanyahu that Israeli forces would withdraw only after Hamas had been completely disarmed. Mladenov said a withdrawal would follow genuine and verified demilitarisation, including the surrender of all Hamas weapons, down to assault rifles such as Kalashnikovs.

Israel has demanded the destruction of Hamas’s entire weapons stockpile rather than merely transferring the arms to another authority. The disagreement leaves key questions unresolved over the sequence of disarmament, verification and Israeli withdrawal, while negotiations continue over the proposed framework for Gaza’s future governance and security.

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