Netanyahu rejects Gaza roadmap but approves Rafah reconstruction

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the 15‑point Gaza roadmap presented by U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace on Sunday, saying Israel will not pull its forces out of Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed. The decision was made in Jerusalem, amid rising tensions after the U.S. plan was released last month. Netanyahu’s statement was a direct response to the Board’s proposal, which outlined a phased withdrawal and the deployment of an international stabilization force.

The roadmap had already been backed by Hamas, which on the same day reiterated its support for the plan but demanded guarantees for a ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal, aid and reconstruction. Nickolay Mladenov, the Board’s envoy, explained that any Israeli pullback would be incremental, starting in areas cleared of weapons, with international troops taking over vacated territory. He added that disarmament would eventually cover all armed groups in Gaza, not just Hamas. The plan comes after a brief spike in violence following Trump’s initial disarmament agreement announcement in late July.

Despite rejecting the roadmap, Israel made visible changes on the ground. The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza fell from 47 between July 27 and August 3 to eight from August 4 to August 10, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israeli Army Radio reported that Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz secretly approved rehabilitation work in eastern Rafah, allowing Palestinian labourers to work on the site after Shin Bet screening. The project is part of the “Green Rafah” temporary‑housing initiative, which experts warn may entrench Israel’s military presence and deepen Gaza’s fragmentation. Israel has also held back caravans needed to house residents until after its October election, despite a 2025 ceasefire agreement.

The army has received no order to halt preparations for the second phase of the plan. A base for the incoming International Stabilization Force is slated to begin construction in Rafah by the end of August. Netanyahu faces pressure from U.S. allies to move forward and from far‑right domestic allies who want to seize more Gaza territory as elections approach. Violence remains, with Israeli forces killing a Palestinian in Deir el‑Balah and wounding several others in attacks on tents and gunfire in Khan Younis, al‑Mawasi and Gaza City. Since the October ceasefire, at least 1,258 Palestinians have been killed and 4,139 wounded, and since the war began in October 2023, 73,386 Palestinians have died and 174,250 have been wounded.