Shin Bet chief David Zini warned the Security Cabinet that Hamas is using the proposed Gaza peace roadmap to buy time and claim a political victory comparable to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, according to officials familiar with Thursday night's discussions.
Speaking during a meeting of the decision-making ministerial panel, Zini reportedly told ministers that Hamas views the signing of the roadmap proposed by the U.S.-backed Board of Peace as "a political Oct. 7" — meaning the terrorist group sees the initiative as a strategic victory over Israel.
According to participants, Zini dismissed Hamas' reported willingness to disarm under the plan as deceptive.
"This is all a process of deception against us," he said, according to officials present. "Hamas' entire goal is to buy time, believing that we will refrain from attacking them until after the elections."
The remarks came as the Cabinet continued debating whether to accept the roadmap, which envisions a phased end to the war in Gaza tied to Hamas' verified disarmament, the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces, the deployment of an international stabilization force and the eventual transfer of governance to a reformed Palestinian administration. The plan also includes a pathway toward Palestinian statehood.
The proposal has exposed deep divisions within the government.
After details of the roadmap became public, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlements Minister Orit Strock argued they had voted in favor of the plan only because they had received inaccurate information during earlier Cabinet discussions. Both have since called for the proposal to be reconsidered.
A source involved with the Board of Peace process disputed those claims, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the National Security Council had been kept informed throughout negotiations.
During Thursday's meeting, most Cabinet ministers urged Netanyahu to reject implementation of the roadmap.
Their objections came as the IDF introduced new restrictions on offensive operations in Gaza. Military commanders have been instructed to obtain approval from IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir before carrying out targeted strikes against Hamas operatives — a significant departure from recent months, when such operations were conducted almost daily.
Several ministers called on Netanyahu to restore the previous policy of frequent targeted killings.
They also urged Israel to reject requests from the United States and the Board of Peace for a 14-day pause in targeted killings and airstrikes, arguing that accepting the temporary halt could be interpreted as Israeli approval of the broader roadmap.
Netanyahu told ministers that Israel had already submitted detailed comments and objections to the proposal.
"We conveyed our comments and a detailed response to the document," Netanyahu said, according to participants. "We told them that our understandings with the Americans in November 2025 were different. What they want from us is only the 14-day pause during which Hamas would be allowed to surrender its weapons."
National Security Adviser Shmuel Ben Ezra
(Photo: Elisha Grossberg)
National Security Adviser Shmuel Ben Ezra told ministers Israel was facing sustained international pressure.
"There is continuous pressure — hourly and daily — for us to enter these 14 days," he said.
Most ministers argued the roadmap contradicts the central objectives Israel has pursued since the war began following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.
Among their principal objections was the proposal's provision allowing Hamas' weapons to be transferred to another Palestinian or Arab security force rather than requiring their complete destruction. Ministers also rejected the prospect of a reformed Palestinian Authority eventually governing Gaza under Palestinian law and argued that Hamas should be fully disarmed before any Israeli withdrawal or reconstruction begins.
Cabinet members also criticized the roadmap's reference to the establishment of a Palestinian state and its provision for a phased Israeli military withdrawal before Gaza has been completely demilitarized.