With the Israeli Prime Minister alongside him, President Donald Trump revealed an ambitious strategy for securing and redeveloping the Gaza Strip and placing it under the administration of an international transitional government. This body would be overseen by a board co-led by Trump himself, as well as former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has been involved in discussions between Palestinians and Israelis for decades.
The proposal, designed to transform one of the world’s most contentious regions and bring it under Trump’s oversight, was sparse on specifics and had not yet been accepted by Hamas leaders—a significant obstacle. “We are at a minimum very very close and I think we are beyond very close,” he stated.
Should Hamas not endorse the plan—which mandates the group’s disarmament and no public role in Gaza—Trump indicated that Israel would have his backing to continue its military operations in Gaza until Hamas was eliminated. “If Hamas rejects the deal,” Trump declared, “Bibi, you’d have our full backing to do what you need to do.”
Netanyahu expressed his support for Trump’s plan to conclude the conflict in Gaza. “If this international body succeeds we will have permanently ended the war,” Netanyahu affirmed.
However, if Hamas neither agrees to the deal nor undermines it, “Israel will finish the job by itself,” Netanyahu asserted. “This could be done the easy way or it could be done the hard way. But it will be done.”
After an extended meeting in the Oval Office, Trump and Netanyahu addressed reporters in the White House State Dining Room but did not entertain any questions. Trump spoke extensively for over 20 minutes about his efforts to resolve the decades-long, violent conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. He characterized the moment as “potentially one of the great days ever in civilization.”
“Let’s call it eternal peace in the Middle East,” he added. He thanked his son-in-law and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkof for their assistance in developing the proposal.
The 20-point proposal is titled “President Donald J. Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict.” It demands that all hostages be returned to Israel within 72 hours. Once these hostages are released, it would then require Israel to free 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 other individuals who were detained following Hamas’ bloody incursion into Israel on . Israel would also be obligated to reinstate humanitarian aid shipments and commence the reconstruction of water, electricity, and sewage infrastructure in Gaza.
Under the agreement, Hamas would have to consent to having no role in governing Gaza. Hamas members who accept the terms and wish to leave the Strip would be granted safe passage. The Israeli Defense Forces would gradually withdraw from portions of the Gaza Strip, but would permanently maintain a security buffer along all three land borders.
Gaza would be governed by a “Board of Peace” which Trump stated would oversee an international transitional government. The Board would be led by Trump, who suggested he was too busy to assume the responsibility but was urged by others to do so. “The leaders of the Arab world, Israel and everybody involved, asked me to do this,” Trump said, during a lengthy description of his proposal. The board would also include other heads of state and Blair, the former UK Prime Minister.
This is a developing news story and will be updated.
