Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a U.S.-backed 15-point plan intended to move Gaza toward disarmament, Israeli withdrawal and international stabilization. Israel insists that Hamas must first be fully disarmed — including its lighter weapons — before the military gives up its positions in the territory.
The dispute exposes a widening gap between Washington’s desire to convert a fragile ceasefire into a durable settlement and an Israeli leadership still shaped by the shock of the October 7 attacks. For Netanyahu and his allies, security guarantees come before withdrawal. For the United States, sequencing disarmament and withdrawal is essential if the plan is to survive. The result is a rare public break between two governments that have otherwise remained closely aligned.
Israel says it will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed, openly resisting American pressure over the sequencing of the next phase of the peace process.
The U.S. roadmap calls for phased disarmament, Israeli pullbacks, international stabilization forces and a technocratic Palestinian administration, but implementation remains deeply contested.
EU climate scientists say extreme heat and drought have intensified wildfire conditions across the continent and pushed the fire season farther north.
Russian authorities say a Ukrainian drone attack on Nizhnekamsk killed civilians and wounded scores, while Ukraine said it had targeted an oil refinery.
Tehran says progress with Oman on shipping arrangements will not by itself restore normal traffic through the Strait of Hormuz without broader concessions from Washington.
Heatwaves, drought and wildfire damage are moving climate change from a long-term warning into a direct drag on growth, agriculture, infrastructure and public finances.
Fire conditions have improved enough for some residents to return, though communities are confronting extensive destruction left by the blazes.
Western Europe is preparing for yet another burst of extreme temperatures after a summer already marked by drought, record heat and major fires.
Israel rejects the U.S.-backed roadmap and demands complete Hamas disarmament before withdrawal.
The dispute centres on whether disarmament and Israeli withdrawal proceed in phases or sequentially.
Western Europe records its hottest June-July period on record.
A Ukrainian drone strike deep inside Russia causes civilian casualties.
Iran continues to demand U.S. concessions before fully reopening the strait.
Heat, drought and fire are increasingly hitting Europe’s economy directly.
Israel’s rejection of the latest U.S.-backed Gaza roadmap illustrates how deeply the trauma of October 7 continues to shape Israeli strategy. The American plan seeks to turn a fragile ceasefire into a staged political and security transition: Hamas would disarm, Israeli forces would withdraw in phases, an international stabilization force would enter and a Palestinian technocratic administration would assume responsibility for rebuilding and governance. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will not leave until Hamas has been completely disarmed, including its lighter weapons. That sequencing dispute is more than diplomatic detail. Washington needs simultaneous steps to create trust and momentum; Israel sees withdrawal before full disarmament as risking a repeat of the security failures that preceded the October 7 attacks. The result is an unusually public clash with Israel’s most important ally. The Israeli government is also operating under domestic political pressure from hard-line coalition partners who oppose concessions and from a public for whom October 7 remains an open wound. Yet the longer Gaza remains militarized and politically unsettled, the harder it becomes to transform battlefield control into lasting security. America’s plan may therefore confront an almost impossible circle: Israel wants certainty before withdrawal, Hamas and other Palestinian actors want withdrawal before surrendering their remaining leverage, and international forces cannot stabilize Gaza until both sides move. Breaking that circle will require more than pressure from Washington. It will require each side to accept risks that its political leadership has spent years promising never to take.