After days of speculation, the White House has released a 20-point plan for ending the nearly two-year war in Gaza, releasing hostages held by Hamas, and outlining the Palestinian enclave's future.
Speaking alongside President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave cautious backing to the proposal — though added that Israel was still prepared to "finish the job by itself" if Hamas rejected or countered it.
The 20-point plan, which Trump has also circulated to Arab leaders, calls for a ceasefire, release of hostages by Hamas, disarmament of Hamas and gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
In a crucial change from Trump's earlier apparent goals, Palestinians will not be forced to leave Gaza and instead, the document said, "we will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza". It also forbade Israel to annex or occupy Gaza.
The running of Gaza will also be overseen by an international 'Board of Peace' headed by Trump.
Netanyahu said the plan "achieves our war aims", while Trump said he was hopeful that Hamas would also give its backing.
Approval from all sides was "beyond very close", Trump said.
Qatari and Egyptian mediators met on Monday with Hamas to provide the Palestinian militant group with the plan, an official briefed on the talks told the Agence France-Presse news agency.
"The Hamas negotiators said they would review it in good faith and provide a response," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks.
However, many important details of the proposal are yet to be clarified.
Trump and Netanyahu refused to take questions at the end of their statements to the media. Source: Getty / Win McNamee
He also cast doubt on whether the Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank territory, would be allowed a role in Gaza's governance.
"Gaza will have a peaceful, civilian administration that is run neither by Hamas nor by the Palestinian Authority," said Netanyahu.
Here's an edited version of the plan.
'Redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza'
1. Gaza will be a deradicalised, terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours.
2. Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza.
3. If accepted by both sides, the war will end immediately. Israeli forces will pull back to an agreed line for the hostage release, with all military operations suspended and battle lines frozen until a full staged withdrawal is completed.
Palestinians continue to flee toward the central areas of Gaza Strip due to intensified Israeli military attacks in northern Gaza. Many Palestinian families are struggling to survive in makeshift tents set up along streets and the shoreline of Nuseirat Refugee Camp. Source: Getty / Anadolu
5. Once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after October 7 2023, including all women and children. For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans.
6. After the hostages' return, Hamas members who disarm and accept peaceful co-existence will receive amnesty, while those choosing to leave Gaza will be granted safe passage abroad.
7. Upon acceptance of this agreement, full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip.
8. Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference.
Gaza overseen by 'board of peace'
9. Gaza will be run by a temporary technocratic Palestinian committee managing public services. This will be overseen by an international transitional body, the Board of Peace, which will be chaired by Trump and include leaders such as former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. The Board will provide oversight and funding for Gaza’s redevelopment until the reformed Palestinian Authority is ready to resume control of Gaza.
10. A Trump economic development plan will rebuild Gaza through a panel of experts behind successful Middle Eastern cities. International investment proposals will be integrated with new security and governance frameworks to attract capital, create jobs, and offer Gaza a hopeful future.
11. A special economic zone will be created with negotiated preferential tariffs and access for participating countries.
12. No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.
13. Hamas and other factions will have no role in governing Gaza, and all military and terror infrastructure will be dismantled. Gaza will undergo monitored demilitarisation, with weapons decommissioned through an internationally funded buyback and reintegration program. The new Gaza will focus on economic growth and peaceful coexistence with its neighbours.
In Gaza, people expressed a mix of hope, exhaustion and distrust ahead of the White House meeting. Source: Getty / Anadolu
15. The US, with Arab and international partners, will form a temporary International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to deploy in Gaza. The ISF will train vetted Palestinian police, coordinate with Jordan and Egypt, and work with Israel and Egypt to secure borders, block weapons smuggling, and ensure the safe flow of goods for Gaza’s reconstruction.
'Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza'
16. Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza. The IDF will withdraw in stages, handing territory to the ISF under agreed milestones tied to demilitarisation, until a full withdrawal is complete and Gaza poses no threat to Israel. A limited security perimeter will remain until Gaza is secure from renewed terror threats.
17. In the event Hamas delays or rejects this proposal, the above, including the scaled-up aid operation, will proceed in the terror-free areas handed over from the IDF to the ISF.
18. An interfaith dialogue process will be established based on the values of tolerance and peaceful co-existence to try and change mindsets and narratives of Palestinians and Israelis by emphasising the benefits that can be derived from peace.
19. As Gaza’s redevelopment progresses and PA reforms take hold, conditions may finally allow a credible path to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, reflecting the aspirations of the Palestinian people.
20. The US will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence.
Israel has bombarded Gaza since Hamas' October 7 attack in which more than 1,200 people, including an estimated 30 children, were killed and over 200 hostages taken, according to the Israeli government.
More than 66,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
The October 7 attack was a significant escalation in the long-standing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
How the world reacted
Early reaction to Trump's Gaza peace plan from world leaders were positive.
French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the US president for his "commitment" to ending the war in Gaza.
In a post on X, he said the Palestinian militant group Hamas now had "no choice but to immediately free all the hostages" seized during the 2023 attacks that sparked the war and called on Israel, whose prime minister said he backed the plan, to "commit resolutely" to it.
Italy also welcomed the proposal and said it was ready to play its part in close coordination with the United States, European partners and regional actors.
"The proposal presented today by US President Donald Trump could mark a turning point, enabling a permanent cessation of hostilities, the immediate release of all hostages, and full and secure humanitarian access for the civilian population," it said in a statement.
"Hamas, in particular ... now has the opportunity to end it by releasing the hostages, agreeing to have no role in Gaza's future, and fully disarming", the statement added.
But residents of war-torn Gaza remained sceptical, dismissing the proposal as a "farce".
"It's clear that this plan is unrealistic", 39-year-old Ibrahim Joudeh told the Agence France-Presse news agency from his shelter in the so-called humanitarian zone of Al-Mawasi in south Gaza.
"It's drafted with conditions that the US and Israel know Hamas will never accept. For us, that means the war and the suffering will continue".
Abu Mazen Nassar, 52, was equally pessimistic and feared that the plan aimed to trick Palestinian factions into releasing hostages held in Gaza and no peace in return.
"This is all manipulation. What does it mean to hand over all the prisoners without official guarantees to end the war?" said Nassar, displaced from his home in north Gaza in central Gaza's Deir el-Balah.
"We as a people will not accept this farce," he said, adding: "Whatever Hamas decides now about the deal, it's too late."
With additional reporting by the Agence France-Presse news agency.
