Hamas negotiators are said to be reviewing Donald Trump’s plan for peace in Gaza “in good faith” as Sir Keir Starmer called on the group to “end the misery” in the region.
According to the Associated Press, representatives of the terror group are currently reviewing the deal after being presented with the terms by Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence chief.
The US President’s 20-point plan was unveiled on Monday, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threw his support behind it at a press conference at the White House.
The Prime Minister welcomed the proposal, adding he was “grateful for President Trump’s leadership”.
Sir Keir said: “We strongly support his efforts to end the fighting, release the hostages and ensure the provision of urgent humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza. This is our top priority and should happen immediately.
“We call on all sides to come together and to work with the US administration to finalise this agreement and bring it into reality.”
He continued: “Hamas should now agree to the plan and end the misery, by laying down their arms and releasing all remaining hostages.
“Together with our partners, we will continue work to build consensus to put into place a permanent ceasefire.
“We are all committed to a collective effort to end the war in Gaza and deliver a sustainable peace, where Palestinians and Israelis can live side by side in safety and security.”
Mr Trump’s plan states that, if both sides agree, there will be an immediate ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces to “the agreed upon line”, and the release of all the hostages, followed by the release of Palestinian prisoners and a surge of aid into Gaza.
Gaza will then be temporarily governed by a transitional committee of qualified Palestinian and international experts, with oversight from a new international transitional body, referred to as the “Board of Peace”.
The “Board of Peace” will be chaired by Mr Trump, working alongside other international leaders, including former UK prime minister Sir Tony Blair.
This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until the Palestinian Authority has undergone sufficient reform that it can take over.
Mr Trump told reporters after his meeting with Mr Netanyahu: “One of the people that wants to be on the board is the UK former prime minister Tony Blair – good man, very good man.”
Sir Tony, who took the UK into the Iraq War in 2003, served as Middle East envoy for the quartet of international powers – the US, the EU, Russia and the UN – after leaving office.
Recently, he has been part of high-level planning talks with the US and other parties about the future of Gaza.
Responding to Monday’s announcement, Sir Tony said Mr Trump’s plan is “bold and intelligent” and offers “the best chance” of ending the war.
He thanked the US President for his willingness to chair the “Board of Peace”, labelling it a “huge signal of support and confidence in the future of Gaza”.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he understood that Sir Tony’s role in the peace plan would “raise eyebrows” but noted the former prime minister’s work on the peace process in Northern Ireland.
He told Times Radio: “Now I know there will be people who will raise eyebrows about Tony Blair in particular, and will think critically about that because of his role in the Iraq War.
“All I would say is that someone who also marched against the Iraq War, and opposed the Iraq War as I did, I also remember his legacy in Northern Ireland, and if he can bring that considerable skill-set to bear of being able to broker peace between enemies, sworn enemies, then so much the better.”
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said it appreciated “President Trump’s efforts to drive forward a hostage-ceasefire deal, which now has the buy-in of Israel and the international community” and said pressure must be put on Hamas to “accept the deal and end the nightmare that they started on October 7 2023”.
While Mr Trump’s peace plan has secured the support of Israel, as well as Arab countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Hamas have not yet agreed to it.
Mr Trump said that, if Hamas rejects the deal, Mr Netanyahu would have his “full backing to do what you would have to do”.
Mr Netanyahu hailed the plan as a “critical step” towards peace in Gaza and beyond.
He said: “I believe that, today, we’re taking a critical step towards both ending the war in Gaza and setting the stage for dramatically advancing peace in the Middle East – and I think beyond the Middle East, very important Muslim countries.
“I support your plan to end the war in Gaza, which achieves our war aims.
“It will bring back to Israel all our hostages, dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities, end its political rule and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.”
He warned: “But if Hamas rejects your plan, Mr President, or if they supposedly accept it and then basically do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself.
“This can be done the easy way, or it can be done the hard way, but it will be done.”
The Israeli prime minister also confirmed that he had apologised to the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, for the Israeli strike in Qatar on September 9.
He said he regrets “the loss of Qatari citizens”, who were not the target of the strikes.
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