US President Donald Trump's claim of a breakthrough in ending the war was severely damaged on Sunday when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the 15-point Gaza peace proposal and ruled out a Palestinian state in Gaza or the West Bank.
While maintaining its commitment to the blueprint, Hamas requested that Israel first fulfil its duties.
At a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu declared, "There will be no Palestinian state in Gaza or the West Bank as long as I am Prime Minister."
Netanyahu also stated that Israel would not leave Gaza until Hamas was completely disarmed, rejecting the US President's 15-point plan.
The comments were made almost a week after Trump praised the plan as a "great breakthrough" and a "major milestone."
The two parties are still at odds over how the US-backed roadmap should proceed, with Israel rejecting important aspects of the plan and Hamas imposing conditions on its execution.
Last week, an Israeli official declared that unless Hamas experienced what Israel deemed to be true disarmament, there would be "no withdrawal whatsoever" of the Israeli force from its current positions.
Netanyahu has recently reaffirmed that stance, stating that Israeli troops would not leave Gaza until Hamas was totally disarmed.
Days prior to Sunday's comments, the Israeli Prime Minister's categorical denial also conflicts with Trump's words following Netanyahu's visit to Washington last week.
At the time, Trump had remarked, "Israel helped us, and they've been very good," describing Israel as "very happy" with the deal.
But Trump admitted that it could be challenging to carry out the plan. "Will it have its highs and lows? It's a really complicated situation over there," he remarked.
Gaza was not brought up at Netanyahu's meeting with Trump in Washington, according to an Israeli political source, casting doubt on how closely the two leaders genuinely agree on carrying out the plan.
Hamas, on the other hand, insisted that Israel must first fulfil its duties while maintaining its commitment to the blueprint reached with mediators and officials of Trump's Peace Council in Cairo.
Basem Naim, a senior Hamas leader, told Reuters that the organisation anticipated pressure from the US and mediation on Netanyahu and his administration to follow the blueprint.
Naim declared, "We remain committed to the roadmap agreed with mediators and representatives of the Peace Council in Cairo."
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Hamas has insisted that before the party steps toward surrendering its weapons, Israel must first stop its strikes and fulfil its obligations under the previous ceasefire agreement.
The group stated that an Israeli pledge to halt the killing and cease its strikes would be "the first step toward an agreement."
Trump's 15-point plan outlines a step-by-step strategy to put an end to the conflict in Gaza, disarm armed organisations, remove Israeli soldiers, and transfer control of the enclave to a Palestinian technocratic council.
Before proceeding to the next stage of the strategy, Israel and Hamas would need to fulfil their current ceasefire obligations.
The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza would thereafter take over Gaza's internal security and civil administration from Hamas and other Palestinian factions.
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