United arab emirates: The United Arab Emirates and seven other countries on Sunday condemned Israel's rejection of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip. It comes a week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the 15-point plan for Gaza, stating that no military pullout will happen until Hamas is "genuinely" disarmed.

According to Deutsche Welle, Trump's Board of Peace announced last month that it had reached a deal for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. The foreign ministers of the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt issued their joint statement as Trump's envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Nickolay Mladenov, Trump's Board of Peace envoy for Gaza, were in Egypt for Gaza ceasefire-related talks.

Trump had announced a breakthrough on a 15-point road map aimed at ending the war in the Gaza Strip. The plan, drawn up by his Board of Peace, calls for Israeli troops to withdraw as Hamas gives up its weapons, with an international stabilization force set to work alongside a new Palestinian police force to secure Gaza.

"Rejecting the Road Map constitutes an explicit refusal to proceed with the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan, and directly threatens to derail the extensive efforts exerted by US President Trump to bring an end to the war in Gaza and establish the conditions for lasting peace," the foreign ministers stated. They further emphasized that Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing peace efforts in Gaza and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Kushner met with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya on Sunday, according to several news agencies citing unnamed sources. Kushner and Mladenov were in Egypt for talks with mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey regarding the deal's implementation. Kushner is expected to meet with Netanyahu on Monday.

Despite avoiding the term "disarmament," Hamas stated on July 30 that it would hand over its weapons to a new Palestinian governing body under the supervision of the Board of Peace. The group urged mediators and the Board of Peace to compel Israel to approve the road map for next steps. Netanyahu has previously noted that Israel remains in talks with Washington, asserting that while some ideas are acceptable, others are not, and Israel knows how to stand its ground.