Trump Wins Netanyahu's Backing for 20-Point Gaza Plan; Hamas Response Remains the Open Question

On Monday, standing beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a joint White House news conference, President Donald Trump said the two sides were "beyond very close" to a peace deal for Gaza. Netanyahu had just given his public backing to a U.S.-sponsored plan to end a war that is nearly two years old. The party whose agreement matters most, Hamas, had not yet answered.

The White House released a 20-point document. It calls for an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal, the disarmament of Hamas, and a transitional government led by an international body. Trump also warned Hamas that if it rejects the offer, Israel would have full U.S. support to take whatever action it considers necessary.

The plan was crafted by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's Middle East adviser in his first term. It envisions a ceasefire followed by the release, within 72 hours, of all remaining hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, with Israeli forces withdrawing gradually. The U.S. would work with Arab partners and others to build a temporary stabilization force. Gaza would be run without Hamas, with only a limited initial role for a Palestinian Authority "representative." A technocratic Palestinian committee would handle day-to-day services, overseen by an international "board of peace" chaired by Trump and including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The plan sketches a vague path toward Palestinian statehood once Gaza's redevelopment is well advanced and the Authority has made reforms, but gives no details.

Netanyahu said he supports the plan because it "achieves our war aims": returning all hostages, dismantling Hamas's military capabilities, ending its political rule, and ensuring Gaza never again threatens Israel. Yet he distanced himself from parts of it, including the reforms demanded of the Palestinian Authority and the prospect of eventual statehood, which he has forcefully rejected. A source close to the talks said statehood was among the main sticking points. It was not immediately clear whether Washington and Israel had settled all their differences. The Palestinian Authority welcomed Trump's efforts, according to the news agency WAFA, and said it would work toward a comprehensive deal.

Hamas stayed outside the negotiations and has repeatedly refused to disarm, which clouds the plan's prospects. A Hamas official told Reuters the group had received nothing officially beyond media publication. An official briefed on the talks later said Qatar and Egypt had passed the document to Hamas, which told mediators it would review it "in good faith" and then respond. Israel says Hamas still holds 48 hostages, 20 of them alive.

The visit was Netanyahu's fourth to the White House since Trump returned to office in January. It came days after several Western leaders formally recognized Palestinian statehood at the United Nations, over U.S. and Israeli objections. Trump has called that recognition a prize for Hamas. Washington presented its plan to Arab and Muslim states on the sidelines of the General Assembly last week. Trump took no questions at what had been billed as a news conference.

Trump has promised a quick end to the war since his 2024 campaign and has repeatedly said a deal was near, only for none to materialize. In August he went into a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin seeking a Ukraine ceasefire, left without one, and still rated the meeting "a 10."

Netanyahu faces pressure from hostages' families and, according to polls, a war-weary public. He also risks his governing coalition if far-right ministers think he has conceded too much. Israel launched one of its largest offensives of the war this month, with Netanyahu saying he aims to destroy Hamas in its last strongholds.

The human toll frames everything. Israeli tallies say Hamas-led fighters killed around 1,200 people and seized 251 hostages on Oct. 7, 2023. Gaza health authorities say more than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed since, and much of the territory is in ruins amid a major humanitarian crisis.

Rep. Michael Baumgartner, a Spokane Republican on the House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, welcomed the announcement but said the region is "littered with failed peace plans." He pointed to the Abraham Accords as evidence Trump can do what others thought impossible, and called the Emirates' apparent support significant. Steven Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations said Qatar must now press Hamas and Netanyahu must sell the plan to his security cabinet. Those two steps, and Hamas's reply, are what to watch next.