The US President and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyau announced a 20-point plan, giving rise to fresh hopes that the bloody conflict in the Middle East could soon be over
Donald Trump claimed last night to have agreed a major new Gaza peace deal with Israel.
Sparking hopes that a new Middle East peace could soon be starting, the US President and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyau announced a 20-point plan.
However, the proposal has not yet been agreed by Hamas, which said it had not received a written copy of the peace proposal.
Mr Trump said: “Today is a historic day for peace. Let’s call it eternal peace in the Middle East.”
But he went on to warn that if Hamas did not agree to the US-Israel plan, Mr Neyanyahu’s forces “would have my full backing” to “finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas.”
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He said: “I challenge the Palestinians to take responsibility for their destiny because that’s what we’re giving them.”
Full details of the plan have not yet been released but it reportedly includes a temporary governing board.
Mr Trump is believed to have nominated himself as boss, while former British PM Tony Blair would also have a role.
Palestinians would not have to leave Gaza if they did not want to, aid would be supplied, and Hamas fighters would be granted amnesty, with leaders given safe passage out, it is understood.
The proposal also demands the immediate release of the 50 remaining Israeli hostages – although just 20 are believed still to be alive.
More than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, Gaza’s health ministry says.
The war was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attacks, in which around 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 kidnapped.
Emerging from the White House talks, Mr Netanyahu told Mr Trump: “You are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.”
According to a statement, the leaders of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates support to the plan, saying it “paves the way for achieving a lasting and comprehensive peace in the region”.