Israeli ministers reject any Gaza truce deals, insist on occupation despite mediation efforts

Far-right cabinet members of the Israeli government have hit out against a plan to end the war in Gaza following a renewed push by both the US and wider international community at the UN's General Assembly.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on X that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "has no mandate to end the war without a complete defeat of Hamas," a major Israeli war goal that Netanyahu doubled down on during his UN speech on Friday.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also made objections, with Israel's Channel 12 reporting that he is making three demands regarding a ceasefire in the enclave, according to the Times of Israel.

These include the prevention of the Palestinian Authority from governing Gaza, as well as the West Bank, the dismantlement of Hamas, and the annexation of parts of the West Bank without recognition of the State of Palestine.  

Settler leaders in the occupied West Bank are also pressuring Netanyahu to reject Trump's 21-point plan, instead calling for the annexation of the territory, and have sent an "emergency delegation" to the US to meet Netanyahu before his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Monday, according to ToI.

Israel's far-right has consistently objected to ending the war since it began in October 2023, with Ben-Gvir being a staunch advocate for the forced displacement of Palestinians out of Gaza and reoccupation of the enclave.

Trump's 21-point plan

The opposition to the ceasefire comes amid the Trump administration's new push to end the war with a 21-point plan.

The plan, reported by Times of Israel and The Washington Post, would see an end to the war with the disarmament of Hamas, a withdrawal from Gaza by Israeli forces, and the release of all Israeli captives for 700 imprisoned Palestinians and 1,000 detained Palestinians from Gaza.

Aid flow into Gaza would be done through the United Nations, with governance coming under a transitional authority, speculated to be headed by former UK PM Tony Blair, and an international force to provide security in the enclave.

Governance will then be handed over to the Palestinian Authority after reforms, with Hamas playing no role in governing the enclave.

The plan also states that Israel would be barred from annexing Gaza, with a roadmap in place for Palestinian Statehood after Gaza's reconstruction and PA reform, as well as outlining mechanisms for dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians.

The last two points are in stark contrast to Israel's far-right aims of annexing Palestine, as well as Netanyahu's claims to the international community at the UN that "Israel will not allow you to shove a terror state down our throats."

Hamas has said that it has not received the new proposals and that negotiations have been stalled following Israel's attack on Qatar on 9 September, but added that it is ready to consider proposals from mediators "positively."

The Washington Post quoted a regional official as saying of the proposal that "nothing is finalised... these are broad strokes," and that "there are still things that need to be ironed out."

Global calls for a ceasefire mount

The Trump plan comes in the midst of significant international movement demanding an end to the war and an end to Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, with several Western States, including the UK, France, and Canada, recognising the State of Palestine.

Trump had discussed the plan with a host of Arab and Muslim states on the sidelines of the UN this week, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar.

During a UN speech on Saturday, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan blasted Israel's war on Gaza and "the brutal and unchecked practices of the occupying forces, including starvation, forced displacement and systematic killing."

"The failure of the international community to take firm action to end the Israeli aggression and violations will only cause further instability and insecurity regionally and globally," he said, adding that "such inaction will have great consequences and will escalate war crimes and acts of genocide."

In comments made to The Guardian, the UK's Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said that there is international consensus on ending the war, saying, "I feel like there is a consensus, a real, huge consensus building, and there was real energy and determination [at the UN] around peace."

"I think we've reached a moment where the world wants to end this war," she added.

Israel's war on Gaza, which has been ongoing for close to two years, has killed over 65,000 Palestinians and left the enclave uninhabitable. It has also been determined to be a genocide by leading rights groups, including Amnesty International.