Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a news conference in Jerusalem on June 15, 2026. (Photo: AFP)
Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin on Sunday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to delay a Gaza deal until after Israel's October elections, as Netanyahu formally rejected a U.S.-led peace roadmap.
In remarks to the official Voice of Palestine radio, Shahin said Netanyahu "does not want to reach an agreement" and wants to keep Palestinians in a state of uncertainty.
She also warned of a "dangerous shift" in settler violence in the West Bank, saying it has become more coordinated, armed and destructive, significantly affecting Palestinians' lives and undermining prospects for a two-state solution.
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu told the weekly cabinet meeting that Israel rejects a 15-point Gaza peace roadmap plan presented by the U.S.-led "Board of Peace," insisting that Israeli forces will not withdraw until Hamas is fully disarmed.
"When I say disarming Hamas, I mean the heavy weapons, the less heavy weapons -- all weapons," he said.
Hours after Netanyahu's announcement, Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to the plan in a press statement.
The plan was drafted in May by Nickolay Mladenov, "high representative for Gaza" of the "Board of Peace," and officially announced by U.S. President Donald Trump in late July, who said back then the board had reached an agreement on the "complete disarmament" of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza.
A day after Trump's announcement, Hamas said it had agreed to the "latest version of the roadmap" for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement after "fierce" negotiations, but conditioned weaponry arrangements on a complete halt to "aggression," Israeli withdrawal from the enclave, and progress on reconstruction.
Since a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect in October 2025, Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,250 people and injured over 4,100 others in Gaza, according to Gaza-based health authorities.