Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu rejects the US-supported Gaza plan. The proposal calls for Israel to withdraw its forces and Hamas to disarm. However, Netanyahu is under pressure from his right-wing supporters to oppose it.
President Donald Trump emphasized on Monday that his relationship with Netanyahu remains “very good,” despite the Israeli leader’s rejection of the plan. Trump made this statement in response to a reporter’s question at the end of a White House event.
After a week of increasing criticism, Netanyahu publicly voiced his opposition on Sunday to the Gaza plan, which suggests a phased Israeli withdrawal alongside Hamas disarmament. Netanyahu, who is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is currently running neck and neck with his opponents ahead of the October 27 elections — the first since Hamas’s devastating attack in 2023 that ignited the Gaza conflict.
Polling indicates that the Gaza plan is unpopular with Netanyahu’s right-wing base, with some far-right members of his cabinet urging him to reject it outright. Historically, Netanyahu campaigned on a strong relationship with Trump, who took unprecedented steps to support Israel, including relocating the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.
The two leaders collaborated early this year to target Iran, but diverged later when Trump pushed for a ceasefire and settlement negotiations that reduced his popularity and caused oil prices to spike. The Gaza plan marks another phase of a US-brokered ceasefire agreement reached in October, which has decreased but not ended Israeli military actions in the territory.
Since the ceasefire, over 1,250 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry, which is under Hamas control and whose figures are verified by the United Nations. During the same period, five Israeli soldiers have died.