President Donald Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to a 20-point plan designed to end the war between Israel and Hamas after talks on Monday, casting it as a “historic day for peace.”
Trump said the agreement had the support of other leaders from the Middle East and Muslim majority nations during a press conference alongside Netanyahu, and suggested it could lay the ground for a broader peace in the region. Still, Trump warned that “if Hamas rejects the deal” then Netanyahu would “have our full backing” to destroy the militant group.
“We discussed how to end the war in Gaza, but it’s just a part of the bigger picture, which is peace in the Middle East, and let’s call it eternal peace in the Middle East,” Trump said. “So this is far more than anybody expected, but the level of support that I’ve had from the nations in the Middle East.”
The proposal — which mandates Hamas have no role in the future of Gaza — must be accepted by the militant group, which would need to agree to substantial concessions. Hamas, which sparked the war with an Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel said ahead of the Trump-Netanyahu meeting that it had not yet seen the plan and would need to study the proposal.
The plan stipulates that the two-year conflict would end immediately if accepted by both Israel and Hamas, and that all hostages and the remains of those who died would be returned within 72 hours. The agreement would also see Israel release nearly 2,000 prisoners and stipulates that Israel would not occupy or annex Gaza.
The proposal encourages Gaza residents to remain in place, pledges the immediate resumption of aid, and says a “panel of experts” would be convened to “rebuild and energize” the war-torn area with economic development.
The plan calls for Hamas to agree not to have any direct or indirect role in the governance of Gaza, instead handing control of the territory to a “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services.” That body would be overseen by a “Board of Peace” to be chaired by Trump, and involve the participation of other world leaders, including former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The terms also reference a future where the conditions for a Palestinian state “may finally be in place” if the agreement is implemented.
Trump shared his plan with leaders from Muslim-majority countries during a meeting in New York last week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and had teased the prospect of imminent progress.
Trump and Netanyahu entered Monday’s meeting, their fourth this year, at a crossroads with Israel increasingly isolated on the the international stage and intensifying pressure from the US president for a ceasefire.
The path to the agreement was also eased by a phone call — set up by Trump — earlier Monday where Netanyahu expressed regret to Qatar’s prime minister for a strike on Doha aimed at killing senior Hamas leaders. Qatar, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, and the host of the largest US military base in the region was outraged by the strike, as were other Arab states.
Netanyahu expressed regret that the strike accidentally killed a Qatari serviceman on the call, according to a White House readout.
Trump has repeatedly demanded that Hamas, which is designated a terrorist group by the US and European Union, release the remaining hostages — many of whom are dead — taken in its assault. But the president, a steadfast supporter of Israel, has also signaled frustration with Netanyahu’s continued pursuit of the war.
Trump publicly rebuked Netanyahu earlier this month after the strike on Doha and last issued a stern warning that he would not let Netanyahu annex the West Bank, a move that would risk further inflaming the region, jeopardize Trump’s hopes of a broader normalization between Gulf Arab states and Israel and threaten the viability of any future Palestinian state.
But Trump — along with Netanyahu — has also assailed other nations for moving to recognize a Palestinian state, saying it rewards Hamas for its attack.
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