Israel signals rift with Washington as Netanyahu presses for Hamas’ expulsion

Israel and US policy diverge

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday urged regional partners to work with Israel to remove Hamas from the area, just a day after the UN Security Council approved President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the conflict — a plan that controversially offers members of the Palestinian militant group amnesty.

Netanyahu had publicly backed the plan during his late-September visit to the White House, but his latest comments point to emerging divergences between Jerusalem and Washington over the next steps. Hamas, for its part, has also raised objections to several elements of the proposal.

Diplomats say privately that deep-seated positions on both the Israeli and Hamas sides have hampered progress, particularly as the plan does not include clear timelines or enforcement mechanisms. Even so, it has gained broad international support.

Following the UN vote, Netanyahu issued a series of posts on X. In one, he praised Trump, and in another he reiterated that Israel believes the proposal would advance “peace and prosperity” because it calls for the “full demilitarization, disarmament, and deradicalization of Gaza”. He added, “Israel extends its hand in peace and prosperity to all of our neighbors” and called on neighbouring countries to “join us in expelling Hamas and its supporters from the region”.

Asked to clarify what the prime minister meant by “expelling Hamas”, a spokesperson said it referred to “ensuring there is no Hamas in Gaza as outlined in the 20-point plan, and Hamas has no ability to govern the Palestinian people inside the Gaza Strip”.

No explicit demand for Hamas’ expulsion

Despite Netanyahu’s comments, Trump’s 20-point framework does not explicitly call for the Islamist movement to be expelled from Gaza. Instead, it states that Hamas members “who commit to peaceful coexistence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty” and that those wishing to leave would be offered safe passage to third countries. Another clause stipulates that Hamas would not play any role in Gaza’s future governance.

The plan also says reforms to the Palestinian Authority could eventually create “a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood”.

On Sunday, ahead of the UN vote, Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s opposition to Palestinian statehood after far-right coalition partners protested a US-backed statement signalling support for a process leading to Palestinian independence. He also remains firmly opposed to any return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza.

A multinational force for post-war Gaza

The Security Council resolution authorises the creation of a multinational force that, under Trump’s plan, would be deployed temporarily to stabilise Gaza. It also allows member states to participate in a “Board of Peace”, tasked with supervising reconstruction and economic recovery in the territory.

Hamas criticised the resolution for failing to “live up to the demands and political and humanitarian rights” of Palestinians, and rejected any “international guardianship mechanism” over Gaza. It insisted any international force should be stationed only along Gaza’s borders to monitor a ceasefire and must operate strictly under UN supervision. Attempting to disarm Hamas, the group warned, would strip such a force of its neutrality.

Reham Owda, a political analyst in Gaza, said Hamas’ statement should be read as an objection rather than outright rejection, signalling a desire to negotiate the makeup of the multinational force and the powers of the Board of Peace.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on 10 October as part of Trump’s phased roadmap. Israel has partially withdrawn troops, though it still controls 53% of Gaza, and both sides accuse each other of violating the truce.

Abu Abdallah, a displaced businessman in central Gaza, said many Palestinians would favour international forces if it led to a complete Israeli withdrawal. “Hamas can't decide our fate alone, but we also don't want to get rid of one occupation, Israel, and get another international occupation,” he said by phone.

(With inputs from Reuters)