Netanyahu rejects US-backed Hamas disarmament plan, refuses to pull troops back

In his first public comments, Netanyahu said Israel has not agreed to the Board of Peace's disarmament plan, which was negotiated over months between Hamas, the board and mediator countries without Israeli participation. A draft was sent to Israel, he said: "We did not agree to it." The dispute is over sequencing: the plan says Israel should pull back from areas it occupies as Hamas starts to give up weapons, while Netanyahu says no troops will move "until Hamas is completely disarmed". Israel still occupies most of the enclave despite the ceasefire last October. The deadlock adds another complication to the talks, even as Israeli media report that the military has been ordered to curtail strikes on Gaza.

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