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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has endorsed a sweeping U.S. peace proposal for Gaza that would force Hamas to disarm in exchange for aid and reconstruction — leaving the militant group to decide whether to accept what amounts to surrender or face renewed devastation.
President Donald Trump unveiled the 20-point plan Monday alongside Netanyahu at the White House, saying the proposal offered “a new beginning for the people of Gaza and the broader Middle East.” The announcement marks the administration’s most ambitious bid yet to end the nearly yearlong war, which has left much of the territory in ruins.
Under the plan, all fighting would halt immediately. Within 72 hours, Hamas would release all 48 hostages it is believed to still hold — including 20 who Israel says are alive — in exchange for Israel freeing 250 prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 other detainees from Gaza, including women and children. Israel would also return the bodies of 15 Palestinians for each hostage body handed over.
In return, Hamas would be required to fully disarm, dismantle its military infrastructure, and surrender control of the enclave to an international administration led by a newly created “Board of Peace.” The board would be co-chaired by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and would oversee reconstruction, security, and governance.
International control and Israeli security zone
The proposal envisions Gaza remaining under international control for the foreseeable future, guarded by a multinational security force that would deploy as Israeli troops withdraw. However, Israel would maintain what the plan calls a “security perimeter presence,” a phrase that leaves open the possibility of a continued Israeli buffer zone inside Gaza.
The plan stipulates that no Palestinians will be expelled from Gaza and pledges a massive international rebuilding effort overseen by the United Nations and the Red Crescent. Humanitarian aid would flow through “neutral international bodies,” though it remains unclear whether the controversial U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund would continue operating.
Hamas members who renounce violence would be offered amnesty and allowed to remain in Gaza, while others could choose exile.
A distant promise of statehood
The proposal’s most delicate provision — and one likely to draw fierce opposition from Netanyahu’s far-right allies — states that the Palestinian Authority (PA) will eventually govern Gaza after internal reforms. The document hints at, but does not guarantee, a future Palestinian state, saying that “conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” if the PA reforms and Gaza’s reconstruction succeeds.
Netanyahu, while agreeing to the deal, signaled skepticism that the PA would ever meet those conditions. His ultra-nationalist coalition partners have already begun pushing back. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on X that his “red lines” include “no involvement of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and no Palestinian state, period.”
Despite those objections, Netanyahu praised Trump’s plan as “the best chance to bring stability and security after an unimaginable war.”
Hamas response and Arab backing
Hamas leaders received the proposal Monday night from Qatari and Egyptian mediators and said they would review it “in good faith.” The group has repeatedly rejected any requirement to disarm, arguing that it has the right to resist until Israel ends its occupation of Palestinian territories.
Arab governments, meanwhile, signaled broad support. Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan issued a joint statement applauding the U.S. proposal and urging Hamas to “engage constructively.”
For Trump, the announcement represents a rare moment of international unity around a U.S.-brokered peace initiative — albeit one that could collapse if Hamas balks or Netanyahu’s coalition fractures.
“The world is watching,” Trump said Monday in the White House East Room. “Peace is possible if those who claim to fight for their people are willing to lay down their weapons.”
