August 9, 2026 · Jerusalem Theater
August 9, 2026
After more than a week of escalating criticism from his right-wing base, Netanyahu told his cabinet on August 9, 2026 that 'Israel rejects the 15-point document' — the US-led disarmament roadmap Hamas had endorsed at the end of July. The roadmap tied a staged Israeli withdrawal to staged Hamas disarmament; Netanyahu said the army 'will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed.' Hamas said it remained committed to the plan and called on Washington to pressure him. In practice Israel had paused air strikes from August 3, AFP reported, though deadly strikes were again being reported by October; and talks continued: a demilitarization working group was set up in August, and in October Israel approved the entry of a US company to identify sites in Israeli-held southern Gaza where Hamas could begin handing over weapons. No handover had taken place by late October.
Commanders