The dispute over the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza escalated this week, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his rejection of the 15-point plan approved by the Board of Peace and linked any withdrawal from the Strip to the total disarmament of Hamas.
Egypt criticised Netanyahu’s rejection, with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressing the need for all the parties to fulfil their obligations and refrain from taking any actions that would hinder the implementation process or undermine the progress made.
In a phone call with Board of Peace High Representative for Gaza Nikolay Mladenov, Abdelatty also emphasised the need for the continuation of efforts to stabilise Gaza and create the necessary conditions for moving to the next stage of the peace plan.
He indicated that the new understandings on Gaza would pave the way for moving to the second phase of the plan and support early recovery efforts and the reconstruction of the Strip.
Abdelatty and Mladenov discussed arrangements for the next phase, with Abdelatty stressing the importance of enabling the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza to carry out its tasks from within the Strip and moving forward arrangements related to the deployment of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to monitor the ceasefire.
Abdelatty explained that these steps aim to support security and stability during the transitional phase and to preserve the unity of the Palestinian Territories, in order to enable the Palestinian Authority (PA) to fully assume its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
In a video address at the start of his government’s weekly meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu said that “Israel rejects the 15-point document published by the Board of Peace,” adding that “the Israeli army will not carry out any withdrawal whatsoever before Hamas is fully disarmed.”
He said that the disarmament must include “all heavy and light weapons”, adding that it is about “real disarmament, not just symbolic disarmament”.
On 31 July, the Board of Peace and US President Donald Trump announced that Hamas had agreed to a 15-point roadmap following negotiations on the Gaza Strip held in Egypt over the course of one month.
The roadmap includes the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, the disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian factions, and the assumption of the Strip’s affairs by an independent Palestinian administration.
While Trump described the agreement as a “historic achievement”, Israel voiced reservations. This led to the holding of a meeting of mediators Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the US in Cairo this week to discuss the implementation of the roadmap reached two weeks ago.
An informed source told the Al-Qahera News channel that preparations were underway for a quartet meeting between Egypt, Qatar, the US, and Turkey to ensure the new roadmap is carried out. But Netanyahu’s public rejection has led to the postponing of the meeting until further contacts with the Trump administration have been made.
Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, said that “the movement expects the mediators and Washington to press Netanyahu and his government to adhere to the roadmap.”
A Palestinian source told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the quartet meeting had failed to take place as scheduled this week because of Israel’s objections to the roadmap.
“As of this moment,” the source said this week, “no new date has been set for the meeting.”
A Hamas delegation, however, remains in Egypt, the source said, but no new date has been agreed for meetings with the quartet.
The source said the negotiations have slowed because of Israeli objections, particularly over withdrawal arrangements. “Everyone is waiting for an American move and to see whether they have anything to offer in this regard, especially in terms of exerting pressure on Israel,” the source said.
The Trump administration and Mladenov said they were not troubled by “Netanyhu’s rejection of the roadmap”.
A senior American official told Axios website that Netanyahu had spoken by phone with Trump’s Special Envoy Jared Kushner and promised to give the 15-point plan a chance despite his public rejection of it, as well as to limit strikes on Gaza to make room for the disarmament process.
Mladenov, in a phone call with Abdelatty on Monday, also indicated that the Israeli army would remain in its positions within the “Yellow Line” in Gaza, with a gradual withdrawal to the border to begin in parallel with progress in the Hamas disarmament.
Abdelatty warned that Israel’s rejection of the roadmap means that its plans to forcibly displace the Palestinians from the Gaza Strip remain on the table, adding that these will be firmly opposed by Cairo as they constitute a red line for Egypt and the Arab and Islamic countries.
In a press interview this week, Abdelatty said that so-called “voluntary displacement” from Gaza cannot be considered voluntary if conditions are deliberately created to make life in the Strip impossible.
Forcing the Palestinians to leave under such circumstances would constitute coercion and would violate international law and the rights of people living under occupation.
Abdelatty said that Cairo “will not accept or allow” any displacement, stressing its commitment to the “Palestinians remaining on their land and rejecting any attempts to uproot them.”
Ezzat Saad, chair of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, explained that the 15-point roadmap announced by Trump on 31 July was the result of intensive meetings and discussions hosted by Cairo to bring viewpoints closer together and ensure the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
Its implementation would achieve important gains, including stopping the killings, bringing in humanitarian aid, and starting recovery and reconstruction in the Strip in a way that ensures the Palestinians remain on their land, he said.
He added that “Netanyahu’s public rejection” of the roadmap does not mean anything. “Egypt and the other mediators, notably Qatar and Turkey, will continue their active roles by pressuring the Trump administration and Israel to adhere to the 15-point roadmap,” he said.
Egyptian Ambassador Salah Halima said that Egyptian diplomacy and mediation efforts are not limited to the Palestinian cause, but they also include the war between America and Iran.
“Egyptian diplomacy has been active on several fronts involving the conflicts in Gaza, Libya, Sudan, and Iran, and it is trying its best to bring peace and stability to the region,” Halima said.
Abdelatty said that Egypt is doing everything it can, in coordination with regional partners, to reduce the increasing escalation in the region, noting that the repercussions of the current developments are no longer limited to the countries of the Middle East, but have also begun to directly affect other parts of the world.
In an interview with Al-Ghad TV, he said that Egypt is closely coordinating with many countries, notably Turkey, Qatar, Pakistan, and Oman, to bring the US and Iran to the negotiating table.
He indicated that Cairo supports the Gulf states and condemns the Iranian attacks targeting them, while continuing to maintain channels of dialogue and communication with Tehran, since this policy is part of its commitment to peaceful diplomacy and de-escalation.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 13 August, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
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