Prime Minister Netanyahu said at the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting that they had rejected the 15-point roadmap for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire.
Netanyahu said the Israeli army would not withdraw from the areas it occupies in the Gaza Strip until Hamas was fully disarmed. He said disarmament covered all weapons, including heavy and light arms, and stressed that it had to be genuine rather than merely symbolic.
Disarmament talks with the US
Netanyahu said they were holding talks with the US administration on disarming Hamas, adding that some of Washington's proposals were acceptable to them while others were not.
Netanyahu said he considered US President Donald Trump among his friends at the White House, arguing that Israel could take a stand even against its closest friends when necessary for the country's security.
Statements on Iran and Lebanon
Commenting on Iran, Netanyahu said Iran would not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons as long as he remained prime minister.
Netanyahu also addressed the Israeli army's ongoing attacks in southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire. He claimed that the Israeli army was conducting attacks in the area and targeting Hezbollah members at Ali Tahir Hill in Nabatieh Governorate.
Statements on the second phase of the ceasefire
Nikolay Mladenov, the senior representative of the Gaza Peace Council, had announced that Hamas had accepted a detailed roadmap for implementing the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
US President Donald Trump had also announced that the Peace Council had reached an agreement with Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza on laying down their weapons.
Hamas had said that, together with Palestinian groups, it viewed the negotiation process and the mediators' proposals for completing the second phase positively. Hamas had identified an end to Israel's attacks and the establishment of a timetable for the issues agreed upon as its basic conditions.
Hamas had also tied implementation of the second phase to Israel's fully meeting its obligations under the first phase of the ceasefire. The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza had also announced that it had completed its institutional and operational preparations to take over the administration of the Gaza Strip.
The first phase of the ceasefire
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip had entered into force on October 10, 2025. The agreement provided for a prisoner exchange and increased humanitarian aid deliveries.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel's attacks and restrictions on the entry of aid into Gaza continued.
