President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday they agreed to a new Gaza peace plan that has the backing of several regional partners, but Hamas has yet to agree to the plan.
Netanyahu was making his fourth visit to the White House since the start of the second Trump administration, as the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack nears.
Netanyahu and Trump participated in a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office, lunch and a press conference on Monday.
Trump pushed a 21-point peace plan for Gaza, which was presented last week to Muslim and Arab leaders during the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York.
What is in the 21-point proposal?
The plan consists of an agreement to end the war, the release of all remaining hostages taken nearly two years ago, reconstruction in Gaza and the creation of an international board that would oversee Gaza after Israeli forces withdraw.
As part of the deal, “Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty.”
The agreement comes after White House special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been in constant talks with Israel and other partners in the region, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met Netanyahu on Sunday in New York to get the prime minister on board with the proposal, Axios reported.
Trump told the outlet that everyone has come together to secure the deal, “but we still have to get it done.” He praised the Arab countries as “fantastic to work with” and said Hamas is “coming with them.”
According to Axios, the plan is a combination of several proposals to end the war over the last year, started by the Biden administration and carried over into the Trump administration.
Here are some of the details of the administration’s plan, per the White House:
- Gaza will become a “deradicalized terror-free zone” that does not pose threats to neighboring countries.
- Gaza will be redeveloped for its people, “who have suffered more than enough.”
- A permanent ceasefire would begin immediately upon both parties agreeing to the proposal.
- Under the ceasefire, Israeli troops would withdraw from Gaza to an agreed upon line as a hostage release begins.
- Hostages, alive and dead, will be released by Hamas within 72 hours of the agreement.
- Israel would then release 250 prisoners with life sentences and the 1,700 Gazans who have been detained since the start of the war.
- Amnesty will be given to Hamas members who commit to non-violence and want to remain in Gaza. Those who wish to leave will be provided safe passage.
- Rehabilitation infrastructure and aid will be immediately sent to Gaza. Entry and distribution of the aid will not be interfered with.
- The Rafah crossing will be reopened in both directions to facilitate the aid deliveries.
- Gaza will be governed by a “temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee” responsible for running the day-to-day public services. The committee will be overseen by a new international body, called the Board of Peace, which will be overseen by Trump and other international leaders.
- A “Trump economic development plan” will intend to “rebuild and energize Gaza.”
- Hamas will agree to not have any role in governance in Gaza, “directly, indirectly, or in any form.”
- The United States will work with Arab countries to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force to be deployed in Gaza. The force will provide support to Palestinian police forces to secure borders, prevent munitions from entering Gaza and to facilitate the aid and infrastructure flow into the region.
- Israel will also agree to not occupy or annex Gaza, withdrawing the Israel Defense Force from the region on a timeframe agreed upon with the U.S., the International Stabilization Force and other involved parties.
- If Hamas does not agree, the plan will proceed in Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza.
- The plan includes a hope that this will create the conditions for a “credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood,” which the White House recognizes as the aspiration of Palestinian people.
What came from Trump and Netanyahu’s meeting?
Trump began his remarks Monday afternoon by saying it was a big day, “potentially one of the greatest days ever in civilization.”
Trump said he and Netanyahu spoke about peace, not just in Gaza, but “eternal peace in the Middle East.”
“I want to thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for agreeing to the plan and for trusting that if we work together, we can bring an end to the death and destruction that we’ve seen for so many years, decades, even centuries, and begin a new chapter of security, peace and prosperity for the entire region,” Trump said.
While several involved parties have reviewed and approved the proposal, Hamas has not yet, Trump noted in his remarks.
“I hope that we’re going to have a deal for peace, and if Hamas rejects the deal, which is always possible, they’re the only one left. Everyone else has accepted it,” he said.
“But if not, as you know Bibi, you’d have more full backing to do what you would have to do,” Trump said to Netanyahu. “Everyone understands that the ultimate result must be the elimination of any danger posed in the region, and the danger is caused by Hamas.”
According to a White House read out of a trilateral call between Trump, Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Al Thani, Netanyahu expressed “deep regret” that Israel’s missile strike on Hamas targets in Qatar unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman.
Netanyahu also expressed regret for violating Qatari sovereignty and said Israel will not conduct another attack against the country in the future, the White House said.
The call took place just before Netanyahu and Trump addressed members of the press on Monday afternoon.
Trump said Netanyahu “understands it’s time” for the conflict to come to an end. Netanyahu echoed a similar sentiment in his remarks.
“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,” Netanyahu said. “I support your plan to end the war in Gaza.”
Where things stood before Monday’s meeting
Ahead of Trump and Netanyahu’s meeting Monday, it was unclear if the prime minister would be willing to sign on to the deal.
The war in Gaza was a major focus at last week’s United Nations meeting. Several Western countries embraced Palestinian statehood and protested Netanyahu’s presence at the New York meeting.
Trump also made a point in his U.N. remarks to criticize members for seeking to recognize Palestinian statehood. He argued that recognizing statehood for Palestinians would give Hamas a reward “too great.” Trump called for the war to end immediately and said he has been “deeply engaged” in seeing it come to an end.
Netanyahu also expressed dismay with Western leaders who recognized Palestinian statehood, accusing them of succumbing to pressure from the “biased media, radical Islamist constituencies and antisemitic mobs.”
The prime minister told Fox News on Sunday that he hoped the proposal would go through so the hostages would be released but his team was still “working on it” and it had not been finalized at that time.
As of Sunday, Hamas said it had not received any new proposals from Qatar or Egypt, who have played a role in the mediation, Axios reported.
The war in Gaza began nearly two years ago when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
More than 1,000 people were killed by Hamas in the initial attack and more than 250 hostages were taken. Since then, thousands of Palestinians have died, including many civilians, in the ensuing war.