Netanyahu rejects Trump's Gaza plan, demands Hamas disarmament first

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected US President Donald Trump's 15-point plan for Gaza, stating that no military pull-out will happen until Hamas is "genuinely" disarmed.

Trump's Board of Peace said last month it had reached an agreement for the "complete disarmament" of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza.

But Hamas said handing over its heavy weapons was contingent on Israel ending "all forms of aggression" and withdrawing its forces from Gaza.

Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Gaza since agreeing to an initial ceasefire in the territory last October.

"Israel rejects the 15-point document," Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting on Sunday.

The Israeli military "will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens", he added.

Trump last month announced "a monumental step toward lasting peace and security" after Hamas said it had accepted a disarmament plan for Gaza.

But Netanyahu said that Hamas had to disarm before Israel withdrew its forces from Gaza, adding it couldn't be some "fictitious disarmament".

He said he was now in discussion with US officials about how to go forward.

"They have ideas; some of them are acceptable to us and some are not, and we know how to stand our ground on these matters," he said.

Just months before Israeli elections, the Israeli prime minister is unlikely to want to make concessions.

He has faced calls from his far-right allies to hold a new cabinet vote and end the Gaza plan, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir who dismissed the draft as "not acceptable".

It signals another blow for Trump's Gaza peace plan which was announced in September last year.

The plan included the creation of the Board of Peace to oversee the agreement's implementation, as well as the disarmament of Hamas, withdrawal of Israeli troops and reconstruction of Gaza.