Israel’s demand for complete Hamas disarmament is colliding with the next phase of President Trump’s Gaza peace framework, putting security, diplomacy and American leverage under intense scrutiny.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is drawing a hard line over Gaza: Israel will not make a full military withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed and the territory is fully demilitarized. That position has created a new test for President Donald Trump’s ambitious peace strategy—and one that could determine whether the next phase of the Gaza plan moves forward or stalls.

The disagreement is significant because Trump’s broader framework envisions Hamas giving up its weapons, Israeli forces withdrawing in stages, and an international stabilization force eventually helping establish security in Gaza. The White House-backed approach is built around a simple idea: replace years of war with a system in which Hamas no longer controls Gaza through armed force.

But Netanyahu is insisting that promises alone are not enough.

Israel’s Security Red Line

For the Israeli government, the central question is what happens after troops move back. Netanyahu has argued that withdrawal before Hamas is fully disarmed could allow the organization to rebuild its military capabilities and threaten Israeli communities again.

Israeli officials have therefore emphasized that disarmament must be complete and verifiable before Israeli forces move beyond the current security line. A senior Israeli diplomatic official said Israel wants all weapons removed from Gaza and the territory fully demilitarized before withdrawal.

That demand puts security verification at the heart of the negotiations.