Trump and Netanyahu agree to Gaza peace deal, warn Hamas to accept or Israel ‘will finish the job’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed Monday to support President Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip, and both leaders said Hamas must accept the deal or Israel will have the “full backing” of the U.S. to eliminate the terrorist group.

Appearing together at the White House, Mr. Trump and Mr. Netanyahu hailed the plan as a major step toward peace in the Palestinian enclave as the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel draws closer.

Mr. Trump said Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and other Arab nations support the plan, which the White House announced Monday.

“We’re at a minimum, very, very close. And I think we’re beyond very close,” Mr. Trump said in a press conference alongside Mr. Netanyahu.

Mr. Netanyahu is facing mounting pressure and global isolation over Israel’s continued military offensive in the famine-stricken Gaza City. More Western allies have recognized Palestinian statehood, and, in a sharp rebuke, scores of diplomats walked out of Mr. Netanyahu’s speech Friday at the United Nations General Assembly.

Under the White House plan, billed as Mr. Trump’s vision for peace in the region, Israel would immediately begin a phased withdrawal from Gaza and suspend military operations. In exchange, Hamas would release the remaining Israeli hostages within 48 hours. The blueprint also calls for an “economic development plan” to rebuild Gaza.

Mr. Trump said Hamas wants a deal but warned that the White House will give Israel the go-ahead to keep fighting if Hamas doesn’t quickly accept the terms.

“I’m hearing that Hamas wants to get this done too, and that’s a good thing,” Mr. Trump said. “If not, as you know, Bibi, you’d have our full backing to do what you would have to do.”

Mr. Netanyahu offered full-throated support for Mr. Trump’s plan. He called it a “critical step” to ending the war in Gaza and said it sets the stage for “dramatically advancing peace in the Middle East.”

“I support your plan to end the war in Gaza, which achieves our war aims,” he told Mr. Trump. “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.”

He doubled down on Mr. Trump’s threat to Hamas.

“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,” he said. “This can be done the easy way or it can be done the hard way, but it will be done. We prefer the easy way, but it has to be done.”

Hamas has yet to accept the proposal and has rejected specific measures outlined in the plan. Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence chief presented Mr. Trump’s proposal to Hamas negotiators, who were reviewing it in “good faith,” a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

Taher al-Nunu, a senior Hamas official, told Al Araby television Monday that Hamas was not involved in the drafting.

Among the key potential sticking points are the call for Hamas to release all the hostages at once because it believes the hostages are its best negotiating strategy and fears complete elimination if it loses that bargaining chip.

Hamas is also expected to reject the provision that would exclude it from having any role in the new government of Gaza and a pledge to eliminate the enclave’s military infrastructure, including the tunnels, which would essentially destroy Hamas.

Under the plan, Mr. Trump would chair an international “board of peace” overseeing the reconstruction of Gaza. The board would manage the redevelopment of the Gaza Strip until the Palestinian Authority meets the conditions established in the plan to take control of the government.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair also would serve on the board of peace. Mr. Blair has been working with the White House to develop the plan and other ideas for postwar Gaza.

Mr. Trump said other board members would be announced in the coming days.

The plan calls for Israel to establish “terror-free” areas and create a peace force of Arab and international allies, even if Hamas refuses to go along with the proposal.

If Hamas accepts the plan, any member who lays down arms and renounces the terrorist organization would be granted “amnesty” to remain in Gaza or receive safe passage to another country.

The plan states that “no one” will be forced to leave Gaza and that people there will be encouraged to stay and help rebuild the enclave. The plan calls for a special economic zone with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with partner countries.

“A Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza will be created by convening a panel of experts who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East,” the White House plan reads.

Israel would withdraw to agreed-upon positions, and “battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal.”

Upon agreement, Hamas would release 20 living hostages and the bodies of 28 hostages it had kidnapped from Israel during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed about 1,200 Israelis. In exchange, Israel would release 250 life-sentence Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 Gaza residents who were detained after the terrorist attack.

The two-year Israeli invasion of Gaza is estimated to have killed more than 60,000 people, according to the Hamas-conrolled Gaza health ministry, turned neighborhoods to rubble and left much of its population near starvation.

Mr. Netanyahu voiced support for the deal during a three-way call with Mr. Trump and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani. The call was made at Mr. Trump’s behest for Mr. Netanyahu to apologize for the Israeli airstrike this month on Qatar, where senior Hamas officials were gathered.

The strike killed a Qatari security officer but did not affect Hamas’ leadership.

Qatar is a close ally of Washington and has mediated the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Mr. Trump quickly condemned the strike, and Qatar refused further mediation until it received an apology.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his deep regret that Israel’s missile strike against Hamas targets in Qatar unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman,” the White House said in a readout of the conversation. “He further expressed regret that in targeting Hamas leadership during hostage negotiations, Israel violated Qatar sovereignty and affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future.”

In a readout provided by the Israelis, Mr. Netanyahu assured the Qatari leader that Israel has “no plan to violate your sovereignty.”

The White House said Mr. al Thani welcomed the apology and emphasized “Qatar’s readiness to continue contributing meaningfully to the region’s security and stability.”

In the call, the three leaders “underscored their shared commitment to working together constructively and clearing away the misperceptions, while building on long-standing ties both have with the United States,” the White House said.