President Donald Trump asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to begin implementing additional steps in the Gaza peace agreement, according to sources speaking with Axios.

In October 2025, Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-mediated agreement that created the Board of Peace, intended to end the Israeli genocide in Gaza and rebuild the Strip while transferring power from Hamas to a technocratic Palestinian government. Hamas also agreed to return the remains of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, a process that has been completed. 

However, Israel has refused to implement portions of the agreement, including halting attacks on Gaza. At least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since the agreement was signed a year ago. Additionally, Israel has expanded its control of the Strip from 50% to roughly 70% of the small territory. 

The sources speaking with Axios did not detail what steps Trump asked Netanyahu to take. They explained to the outlet that the process will be difficult and Israel will only have to take steps once Hamas begins to disarm. 

While Netanyahu has not commented on the call, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reiterated on Sunday that Israel would not withdraw from Gaza, Lebanon, or Syria. “We will not withdraw from the security zones in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, and if the terrorist organization Hezbollah chooses to join Iran in an attack on Israel, it will suffer extremely severe blows,” he said. 

“The implementation will be difficult, but we believe it is a good plan for Israel. Nevertheless, we can’t do it with one hand tied behind our back,” a US official told Axios. “We want to move forward collaboratively, and we need full cooperation and partnership from the Israeli government.”

President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner told Netanyahu in August that Hamas had agreed to disarm. However, Trump delayed asking Netanyahu to begin implementing the agreement until after the Israeli elections at the end of October.  

President Trump endorsed Netanyahu before the election. Netnayhu’s coalition was unable to secure a majority in the Knesset. It’s unclear who the next Israeli Prime Minister will be, as both Netanyahu and his primary challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, are attempting to gather the votes to form a majority coalition.