United States President, Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu have jointly issued a stern ultimatum to Hamas, urging the militant group to embrace their newly unveiled 20-point peace proposal for Gaza or face severe consequences.
The two leaders met at the White House on Monday before presenting the plan during a joint press briefing, describing it as a “historic breakthrough” and a new turning point for peace in the Middle East.
Despite the bold announcement, Hamas had not been part of the consultations. According to Reuters, Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi revealed the group had not even received the plan before its public unveiling.
It was later reported that Qatari and Egyptian mediators briefed Hamas on the proposal Monday evening.
Trump and Netanyahu made clear there was little room for negotiation. “Israel would have my full backing to finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas,” Trump declared, though he added, “I hope that we’re going to have a deal for peace, and if Hamas rejects the deal … Bibi, you’d have our full backing to do what you would have to do.”
Netanyahu echoed the warning, “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.
This can be done the easy way or it can be done the hard way, but it will be done. We’d prefer the easy way but it has to be done. All these goals must be achieved because we didn’t fight this horrible fight, sacrifice the finest of our young men to have Hamas stay in Gaza and threaten us again and again and again with these horrific massacres.”
Neither leader entertained questions from reporters. The White House had earlier released the full outline of the 20-point plan, which includes provisions for a ceasefire, a hostage-for-prisoner exchange, a phased Israeli withdrawal, Hamas disarmament, and the establishment of a transitional administration led by an international body.
“If accepted by Hamas, this proposal calls for the release of all remaining hostages immediately, but in no case more than 72 hours … The hostages are coming back,” Trump stated.
The plan requires Hamas to surrender its weapons and renounce governance in Gaza. Members willing to embrace peaceful coexistence would be granted amnesty to remain, while others would have safe passage to third countries.
In a surprise move, Trump also announced a new international “Board of Peace” to oversee the process. “To ensure the success of this effort, my plan calls for a new international oversight body, the Board of Peace – which will be headed, not at my request … by a gentleman known as President Donald J Trump of the United States.”
A leaked draft obtained by the Guardian and Haaretz revealed that the proposed governing authority for Gaza would sideline traditional Palestinian leadership while concentrating decision-making powers in the hands of the board’s chair.
Trump, who previously caused outrage with his suggestion of transforming Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East,” emphasized that his economic vision was rooted in reconstruction rather than displacement. The plan states: “No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return.”
At the press briefing, Trump struck an optimistic note, “We’re not quite finished. We have to get Hamas, but I think they’re going to be able to do that. So now it’s time for Hamas to accept the terms of the plan that we’ve put forward today.”
For Netanyahu, who has visited the White House four times since Trump’s return to office in January, the plan offered reassurance amid mounting international pressure after several Western governments recognized Palestinian statehood last week.
“I support your plan to end the war in Gaza, which achieves our war aims,” he said. “It will bring back to Israel all our hostages, dismantle Hamas’ military capabilities, end its political rule, and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel. Hamas will be disarmed. Gaza will be demilitarized. Israel will retain security responsibility, including a security perimeter, for the foreseeable future. And lastly, Gaza will have a peaceful, civilian administration that is run neither by Hamas nor by the Palestinian Authority.”
Former United Kingdom prime minister Tony Blair, tapped to join the oversight body, described Trump’s proposal as “a bold and intelligent plan which, if agreed, can end the war, bring immediate relief to Gaza, the chance of a brighter and better future for its people, while ensuring Israel’s absolute and enduring security and the release of all hostages.”
The announcement came alongside Netanyahu’s apology to Qatar’s prime minister over a recent Israeli strike in the Gulf state that inadvertently killed a Qatari serviceman.
“Israel was targeting terrorists, it wasn’t targeting Qatar, and of course we regretted the loss of the Qatari citizen who wasn’t our target,” Netanyahu later told reporters.
In a joint statement, foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Egypt cautiously welcomed Trump’s initiative, while the Palestinian Authority also signaled its support.
By contrast, the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad rejected the proposal outright, with its leader Ziad al-Nakhala calling it a “recipe to blow up the region.”
The new push for peace coincides with Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza, where tanks pressed deeper into Gaza City on Monday. Since October 7, 2023, more than 65,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed and over 160,000 wounded in the conflict.
