Trump and Netanyahu say they’ve agreed on a plan to end the Gaza war
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday laid out a 20-point proposal supported by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that would end the war in Gaza and free remaining hostages, leaning heavily into conditions that Hamas has previously rejected.
The U.S. president, who has become increasingly frustrated by the bloody conflict, seems to be betting that the militants are now so decimated that they have no choice but to accept what he and Netanyahu are framing as a last, best offer.
“If Hamas rejects your plan, Mr. President, or if they supposedly accept it and then do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself,” Netanyahu said after meeting with Trump at the White House. “This can be done the easy way or it can be done the hard way, but it will be done.”
Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence chief presented Trump’s proposal to Hamas negotiators, who are now reviewing it in “good faith,” according to a person familiar with the matter. The person was not authorized to comment and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The Palestinian government in the occupied West Bank said it welcomed Trump’s plan to end the war and pledged to implement the reforms called for in his plan. And the governments of Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates issued a joint statement applauding Trump’s proposal.
While Trump claimed he is now on the precipice of victory in his long effort to forge peace, the prospects of a finding an endgame to a war that is coming up on the start of its third year still appeared shaky. Many points of tension remain.
There’s little mention of the goal of Palestinian statehood, what many in the region and beyond say is the linchpin for long-term peace. The proposal largely sidelines the Palestinian Authority until it completes vast reforms. And a requirement for Hamas to disarm has been dismissed as a non-starter in earlier negotiations.
Trump’s plan calls for establishing a temporary governing committee that would be headed by Trump and include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. A Palestinian committee of technocrats would oversee civilian affairs, with power handed over later to a reformed Palestinian Authority.
The plan does not require people to leave the Gaza Strip as laid out in an earlier Trump plan roundly rejected by Palestinians and regional leaders.
It does call for all remaining hostages to be released by Hamas within 72 hours of Israel accepting the plan, an effort that would seem difficult to complete with the captives believed to be spread throughout the territory. A senior Trump administration official, who was not authorized to discuss the plan’s details publicly, said the 72 hours starts when Hamas accepts the proposal.
Hundreds of Palestinians, including many serving life sentences, will be released by Israel, according to the proposal.
“I think we are beyond very close,” Trump said. “We’re not quite finished. We have to get Hamas.”
While Hamas has said in the past that it would agree to step back from governing Gaza, the militant group has refused to disarm, something Netanyahu has long demanded as part of any long-term truce to end the war.
The president promised Netanyahu that Israel would have his administration’s “full backing” to further decimate Hamas if the group doesn’t agree to the proposal.
“This is a different Hamas,” Trump said. “Their leadership has been killed three times over. So you’re really dealing with different people.”
Netanyahu on Monday also attempted to mend fences with Qatar, the key Hamas interlocutor and an important U.S. ally.
He expressed his regret to his Qatari counterpart for a Sept. 9 military strike targeting Hamas officials in the Gulf emirate that infuriated Arab leaders and triggered rare criticism by the U.S. of Israel.
Netanyahu made the call to Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, as he met with Trump. Trump described the exchange between the Israeli and Qatari leaders as a “heart-to-heart” call.