The Trump administration on Monday unveiled a lengthy proposal to end the Israel-Hamas war, but it’s far from clear whether Hamas will agree to the terms of the agreement.
The 20-point outline, which the White House released shortly before a joint news conference with President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for Gaza to become a “deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.”
Under the plan, Israeli forces would withdraw and all military operations would cease. Within 72 hours, all Israeli hostages, dead and alive, would be returned. The plan includes a map that illustrates how, under the proposal, Israel would gradually back away from its current lines of control in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel would release 250 life-sentence prisoners and 1,700 Gazans detained in the aftermath of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that began the war. Hamas members who commit to a “peaceful co-existence” and decommission their weapons would be given amnesty.
Gaza would also receive an influx of humanitarian aid and be governed temporarily by a “technocratic, apolitical” committee called the “Board of Peace,” chaired by Trump and with former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair serving as a member. Hamas would agree to have no role in the governance of the enclave.
“Everybody who wants to see an end to the violence and destruction should be united in calling for Hamas to accept the extremely fair proposal so that we can end the war, and get us back our hostages right now, and have everlasting peace,” Trump said at the news conference.
Netanyahu praised the agreement, which comes after his fourth meeting with Trump during the president’s second term.
“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,” he said.
However, Hamas said Monday that it was not consulted on the proposal, which contains several elements that it has previously rejected, according to a New York Times report.
The peace plan could put an end to a war that began when Hamas fighters killed over 1,200 Israelis and took roughly 250 hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. The Biden administration, and now the Trump administration, have made several unsuccessful attempts to resolve the conflict.
But Netanyahu suggested that Israel will continue its military operations if Hamas does not support the plan. More than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel’s military response, although that figure does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths.
“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,” Netanyahu said. “This can be done the easy way or it can be done the hard way, but it will be done.”
Israel will have the “full backing” of the U.S. to take action against Hamas if it rejects the offer, Trump said.
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