Peace Council rejects Netanyahu's statement: "Israel is fulfilling the 15 points"
The Prime Minister announced that Israel rejects the plan and received praise from Bezalel Smotrich. However, in the Council tasked with managing the Strip, they told Ynet: "It would have been better for Israel if its announcements matched its actual actions; it would have enjoyed the political advantage of complying with the agreement."
Senior officials in Donald Trump's Peace Council refused to accept statements made Monday morning by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel rejects the 15-point document.
"We look at actual actions, less at words and announcements. In practice, Israel has stopped targeted killings and is maintaining the ceasefire," they told Ynet.
According to the officials, Israel is effectively fulfilling the 15-point agreement. The IDF is currently positioned on the original "yellow line"—covering 53% of the Gaza Strip—with no outposts or forces beyond that boundary. The Council noted that while Israel rejects the document in words, it is complying in practice, and it would be in the country's best interest for its rhetoric to align with its actions to gain political leverage.
In October of last year, Israel agreed to Donald Trump's "20-point plan" to end the war in the Gaza Strip, published following a meeting with Netanyahu. The plan included the release of hostages, a ceasefire, the entry of humanitarian aid, and a commitment that Israel would not occupy or annex the Gaza Strip. The framework envisioned a gradual IDF withdrawal as international forces established stability, leading to the full handover of the Strip, while maintaining a peripheral security presence until the terror threat was neutralized.
However, Israel has now rejected the 15-point plan published about a week and a half ago. The Peace Council for Gaza had published a "roadmap" for the plan, setting a gradual, internationally supervised process for the disarmament of terror organizations and a full Israeli withdrawal. In his rejection, Netanyahu emphasized that "the IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed."
The current plan states that all parties must reaffirm their commitment to ending the cycle of destruction, ensuring the completion of the Israeli withdrawal, restoring normal life, and facilitating a credible political path toward self-determination. The plan also calls on Israel to fulfill its remaining obligations under the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement, specifically the cessation of military operations, while Hamas and Palestinian factions are expected to cease all hostilities.
