Board of Peace urges Netanyahu to halt Gaza attacks amid cabinet pressure

A senior Board of Peace official used the moment to press Netanyahu directly to halt ongoing attacks on Gaza, framing the pause as a prerequisite for any credible progress on the withdrawal plan. The official's intervention came as international attention focused on whether the fragile ceasefire arrangement could hold amid competing pressures from Washington, Jerusalem, and Arab capitals.

Cabinet revolt over withdrawal text

On Monday, no airstrikes were reported in Gaza, according to one source monitoring the situation. The absence of strikes offered a brief window of calm but did little to ease the political standoff between Netanyahu's government and members of his own cabinet who view the Board's text as a concession they cannot accept.

The Trump deal, which has served as the diplomatic backbone for recent efforts to stabilize Gaza, faces its most serious internal challenge since being unveiled. Two cabinet members argued that the Board's phased-withdrawal language went beyond what Israel had agreed to and demanded an emergency session to formally repudiate the framework. Their push underscored the fragility of consensus within the Israeli governing coalition on questions of how to manage the war's endgame.

The Board of Peace was established as part of the broader Trump-led initiative to oversee Gaza's postwar transition, including humanitarian access, reconstruction financing, and security arrangements. Its latest text, which was released publicly, outlines a staged Israeli pullback tied to monitoring mechanisms and reconstruction milestones — conditions that some Israeli officials have publicly questioned.

Trump deal faces internal pressure

Netanyahu has so far resisted calls from within his cabinet to abandon the deal outright, preferring to negotiate the Board's terms rather than rupture relations with Washington. His calculus reflects awareness that walking away from the Trump framework would carry diplomatic costs at a moment when Israel depends on American support on multiple fronts, including arms deliveries and diplomatic cover at the United Nations.

Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza have warned that any renewed escalation would devastate a civilian population already struggling with displacement and shortages of food, water, and medical care. The combination of a potential cabinet revolt and the Board's withdrawal demand has raised concerns among aid groups that the relative quiet of recent days could quickly unravel.

Diplomatic sources noted that Nikolay Mladenov, a key figure associated with the Board of Peace's Gaza work, has been involved in shuttle diplomacy aimed at keeping the parties aligned with the original framework. Mladenov's role underscores how the Board has sought to embed technical expertise and on-the-ground coordination into what is otherwise a politically fraught peace process.

Mladenov and the diplomatic track

The political pressure on Netanyahu is compounded by domestic constituencies that include settler leaders and right-wing coalition partners who view any withdrawal as a strategic concession. The two cabinet members pushing for the vote represent hardline voices wary of ceding ground before explicit guarantees are secured on Gaza's demilitarization and the release of hostages.

Observers in Jerusalem said the next several days will be critical in determining whether the Board of Peace's phased-withdrawal text becomes a negotiating baseline or a flashpoint that collapses the broader Trump deal. The outcome will likely depend on whether Netanyahu can muster enough cabinet support to soften the language without triggering a formal walkout by his right-wing partners.

Domestic political stakes

For now, the absence of airstrikes on Monday offers a fragile reprieve, but officials on all sides cautioned that the calm could be temporary. The Board of Peace's call for a halt to attacks, combined with the cabinet's attempted revolt, sets up a defining political test for Netanyahu and for the durability of the U.S.-backed framework that has shaped Gaza diplomacy for months.