Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on the 9th (local time) that he rejects the disarmament agreement reached between the peace committee led by U.S. President Donald Trump and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

According to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu said during a cabinet meeting that day, "To be clear, Israel rejects the 15-point document," adding, "The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will not withdraw (from the Gaza Strip) until Hamas is disarmed."

Netanyahu stated, "The disarmament of Hamas means giving up all heavy and small weapons," and noted, "We are currently discussing this matter with the United States."

He continued, "The U.S. side has made various proposals, some of which are acceptable and some of which are not," emphasizing that "Israel's existence and the security of Israeli citizens are not open to negotiation."

Netanyahu made it clear, "I want to clarify the most important point regarding the Gaza Strip issue: As long as I am prime minister, a Palestinian state will not be established in the Gaza Strip or in 'Judea and Samaria' (the West Bank). There will be neither a 'Fatahstan' nor a 'Hamasstan.'"

This remark more explicitly reaffirms the Israeli cabinet's existing stance that it cannot accept the disarmament agreement reached between the peace committee led by U.S. President Donald Trump and Hamas.

Previously, on the 4th, Netanyahu stated, "The Trump administration sent us a draft, but we did not agree to it," making it clear that Hamas's disarmament must precede Israel's withdrawal.

On the 2nd, a spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister's Office also announced that "serious security concerns" regarding this agreement had been conveyed to the Trump administration.

The 15-point agreement that Netanyahu mentioned rejecting today is a different document from the 20-point "Gaza Peace Initiative" proposed by President Trump, which Israel agreed to last October.

The disarmament agreement announced by President Trump on the 30th of last month includes provisions for Israel to halt airstrikes and begin withdrawing troops from the Gaza Strip simultaneously with the commencement of Hamas's disarmament.

Analyses suggest that Netanyahu's defiance against President Trump, with whom he has maintained a close relationship, is not unrelated to the upcoming Israeli general election scheduled for October.

Observers analyze that Netanyahu, whose approval ratings have recently been slipping, is adopting a hard-line stance on the disarmament agreement—which has received little positive response within his coalition government's base—to rally support.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)