Gaza’s roadmap to nowhere: why Israel won’t give up control
Muhammad Shehada writes in The New Arab on 1 September 2026:
Israel was caught by surprise when Hamas agreed at the end of July to decommission its weapons in Gaza in lockstep with the Israeli army’s withdrawal from the enclave. Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has even referred to the acceptance of the Board of Peace’s roadmap by Palestinian factions as a “diplomatic 7 October”.
For months, Israel has made disarmament in Gaza its sole pretext for its continued genocide in the enclave and systematic violations of the October 2025 ceasefire. “If only Hamas were to lay down its arms, all of this would be over” has been Israel’s standard talking point to justify killing over 1,200 Palestinians in the past 320 days of supposed calm, as well as restricting aid and movement, banning reconstruction, and advancing the “Yellow line” of ethnically cleansed areas.
Yet, as soon as Hamas and seven other Palestinian factions agreed to Tel Aviv’s demand, the Israeli government went into panic mode. Netanyahu rushed to formally reject the roadmap while his ministers called it “dangerous for Israel” and vowed to continue daily killings and ethnic cleansing. The Israeli army, meanwhile, has escalated its bombing campaign in Gaza.
Even after the Board of Peace tried to provide ample assurances to Israel that it could continue to bomb Gaza, occupy 70% of Gaza’s territory, and only withdraw after Hamas’s total disarmament, Netanyahu has continued to reject the deal.
“Hamas accepted [the roadmap] to call Netanyahu’s bluff,” a senior Arab mediator told The New Arab. “They knew he would not comply.”