// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Netanyahu's rejection of Trump's 15-point Gaza plan unlikely to be final word
Benjamin Netanyahu is facing an uphill contest in a general election scheduled for October
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have categorically rejected the new Board of Peace roadmap to disarm Hamas in Gaza, but that is unlikely to be the final word.
The White House has not officially commented. However, it is reportedly "not bothered" by Netanyahu's statement and views it as campaign rhetoric in the run-up to a heated general election.
"We understand Bibi's political needs" the Israeli journalist, Barak Ravid, quotes a senior US official as saying – using a nickname to refer to the Israeli leader. "We have no problem with it as long as he continues to do what we ask – especially regarding restraining attacks in Gaza."
Recent days have seen an apparent pause in Israel's strikes on Gaza – something Hamas had demanded when signing on to the US-backed, 15-point roadmap.
And there is another suggestion that Israel is ready to advance US President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza – getting ready for the deployment of the International Stabilization Force (ISF). The force is made up of international troops, with the plan being for them to work with a new Palestinian police force to secure the territory.
The expected construction of the first ISF base is still scheduled to begin amid the ruins of Rafah in southern Gaza at the end of this month, according to Israeli public radio, Kan News, which would allow reconstruction to begin at last.
Bowen: Plan for Hamas to disarm faces big obstacles, yet it offers rare hope for Gaza
In July, after months of delicate negotiations, Trump announced a "major milestone" in the implementation of his plan to end Israel's war in Gaza.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said that the Board of Peace had reached an agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in the territory.