Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that the country will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas gives up its weapons. According to Reuters, Netanyahu’s comments put a major condition on US President Donald Trump’s plan for ending the Gaza war. Trump had said in July that his 15-point Board of Peace plan had reached a breakthrough, with both Israel and Hamas agreeing to the framework. But Israel has now made clear that it does not plan to withdraw its forces until Hamas completes its disarmament.

“Israel does not accept the 15-point document,” Netanyahu said at the start of a meeting with cabinet ministers. The military will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed … it means heavy weaponry, lighter weaponry, all weaponry. And we are talking about genuine disarmament, not fictitious disarmament,” he further said, report Reuters.

The issue of Hamas disarmament has become one of the main points in discussions over the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire. Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October 2025. However, Israel has continued to carry out strikes across Gaza since the agreement.

Trump has said Hamas agreed to lay down its weapons as part of his plan. Hamas controlled Gaza for nearly two decades before the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the war.

Israel remains stiff

Netanyahu said Hamas must give up its weapons before Israel carries out any withdrawal from Gaza. The Israeli prime minister’s condition covers more than heavy weapons. The Israeli position includes the complete removal of heavy and light weapons held by Hamas, reported Al Jazeera. It also includes dealing with tunnels that remain in Gaza.

“The Israeli army will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens,” Netanyahu said, as reported by Al Jazeera.

The statement adds another condition to the implementation of Trump’s Gaza plan. Last week, the US-led Board of Peace said an Israeli withdrawal would take place only after Hamas completed its disarmament. The statement followed a meeting between the body’s director, Nickolay Mladenov, and Netanyahu, reported Al Jazeera.

Trump announced the breakthrough in his plan in July. He said both Israel and Hamas had agreed to the framework and that Hamas had agreed to surrender its weapons.

What about Gaza ceasefire?

The ceasefire began last October, but violence has continued in Gaza. Israel has continued to carry out strikes across the Gaza Strip despite the ceasefire agreement, reported Reuters.

Trump has presented the Board of Peace framework as a way to end the war and establish a new arrangement for Gaza. His administration has said Hamas agreed to disarm as part of the plan.

Israel’s latest statement does not reject the broader framework outright. Instead, Netanyahu has made Hamas’ complete disarmament a condition for an Israeli military withdrawal.

For now, Israel’s position is clear. Netanyahu says Israeli forces will not withdraw until Hamas is “genuinely disarmed”, as reported by Al Jazeera.

What is in Trump’s Gaza plan?

The 15-point document focuses heavily on Hamas’ disarmament, a new security arrangement and a gradual transition in control of Gaza. A detailed disarmament document linked to Trump’s Board of Peace was reported by Reuters in March 2026. It called for Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza to give up their weapons in stages. The process was designed to take place over eight months.

Under the plan, Gaza would move towards a system described as “one authority, one law, one weapon”. Only people authorised by the proposed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, or NCAG, would be allowed to possess weapons. Armed groups would also have to end their military activities.

The disarmament process would not rely only on declarations from Hamas or Israel. A Weapons Collection Verification Committee would verify the process, reported Reuters. The committee would be set up by Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s lead envoy.

The plan also covers Gaza’s extensive tunnel network. Hamas would have to allow the destruction of tunnels, explosives and military infrastructure as part of the disarmament process, according to Reuters report.

The process would take place in stages. The first stage would last 15 days. During this period, the NCAG would take security and administrative control of Gaza and begin preparations for weapons collection.

The second stage would run from days 16 to 40. Israel would remove heavy weapons from areas under its control, while an international security force would be deployed.

The third stage, from days 31 to 90, would involve Hamas handing over its heavy weapons and military equipment to the NCAG. Hamas would also have to allow the destruction of tunnels, explosives and military infrastructure.

The fourth stage would run from day 91 to day 250. Palestinian police forces would collect and register remaining weapons, including guns and rifles. Israeli forces would then begin a phased withdrawal.

The final stage would involve verification that Gaza had been fully disarmed. Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza, except for a presence in a security perimeter, and comprehensive reconstruction would begin, according to Reuters report.