Trump and Netanyahu say they have agreed to a plan to end Gaza war

Adam Geller, Associated Press

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they have agreed to a plan to end the war in Gaza, but it is unclear whether Hamas will accept the terms.

Mr Trump on Monday laid out a 20-point plan for ending the Israel-Hamas war and establishing a post-war governance in the war-battered Palestinian territory.

Mr Trump’s plan would establish a temporary governing board that would be headed by Mr Trump and include former British prime minister Tony Blair.

The plan does not require people to leave Gaza and calls for the war to end immediately if both sides accept it.

It also calls for all remaining hostages to be released within 72 hours of Israel accepting the plan.

Mr Trump said Israel would have the “full backing” of the US to take steps to defeat Hamas if it does not accept the proposed peace deal.

“I think we are beyond very close,” Mr Trump said at the start of a news conference with Mr Netanyahu where he detailed the plan. “We’re not quite finished. We have to get Hamas.”

“If Hamas rejects your plan, Mr President, or if they supposedly accept it and then do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself,” Mr Netanyahu said. “This can be done the easy way or it can be done the hard way, but it will be done.”

Negotiators

The president went on to urge Palestinian people to take responsibility “for their destiny” and embrace his peace proposal.

Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence chief presented Mr Trump’s proposal to Hamas negotiators, who are now reviewing it in “good faith,” according to a person familiar with the matter.

The person was not authorised to comment and spoke on the condition anonymity.

While Hamas has said in the past that it would agree to step back from governing Gaza, the militant group has refused to disarm, something Mr Netanyahu has long demanded as part of any long-term truce to end the war.

Mr Netanyahu earlier extended a formal apology to his Qatari counterpart for a recent military strike targeting Hamas officials in the Gulf emirate that infuriated Arab leaders and triggered rare criticism by the US of Israel.

Mr Netanyahu made the call to Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, as he met with Mr Trump, according to the White House.

Mr Trump described the exchange between the Israeli and Qatari leader as a “heart-to-heart” call.

‘Deep regret’

“As a first step, Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his deep regret that Israel’s missile strike against Hamas targets in Qatar unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman,” the White House said in a statement. “He further expressed regret that, in targeting Hamas leadership during hostage negotiations, Israel violated Qatari sovereignty and affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future.”

The White House talks, and apology from Mr Netanyahu, come at a tenuous moment.

Israel is increasingly isolated, losing support from many countries that were long its steadfast allies.

At home, Mr Netanyahu’s governing coalition appears more fragile than ever. And the White House is showing signs of impatience.

The question now is whether Mr Trump, who has offered steadfast backing to Mr Netanyahu throughout the war, will change his tone and turn up the pressure on Israel to wind down the conflict.

As he welcomed Mr Netanyahu to the White House, Mr Trump responded affirmatively when asked by reporters whether he was confident a deal would be soon reached to end the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

“I am. I’m very confident,” Mr Trump said.

– Netanyahu’s apology for strike that angered US ally

Israel stuck the headquarters of Hamas’ political leadership in Qatar on September 9 as the group’s top figures gathered to consider a US proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Escalation

The strike on the territory of a US ally was a stunning escalation and risked upending talks aimed at winding down the war and freeing hostages.

No senior Hamas officials were killed in the strike.

The attack on an energy-rich Gulf nation hosting thousands of American troops, which has served as a key mediator between Israel and Hamas throughout the war and even before, was described by Mr Trump as out of step with Israeli and US interests.

And Mr Trump sought to move quickly to assuage his Qatari allies.

Qatar, meanwhile, condemned the strike as a “flagrant violation of all international laws and norms” as smoke rose over its capital, Doha.

Other key US allies in the Gulf, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, promised their support to Qatar.

The White House said Mr al Thani welcomed Mr Netanyahu’s “assurances” and emphasised “Qatar’s readiness to continue contributing meaningfully to regional security and stability”.

But even as the White House was spotlighting the apology, Israel’s far right national security minister newly defended the decision to carry out Israel’s attack.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, a key coalition partner of Mr Netanyahu’s, in a posting on X called the operation “an important, just and ethical attack”.

“It is very good that it happened,” he added.

– White House urges Israel and Hamas to get to a ceasefire and hostage release deal

‘Good deal’

Earlier on Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt urged both sides to finalise an agreement to bring an end to the nearly two-year-old war in Gaza.

“Ultimately the president knows when you get to a good deal, both sides are going to leave a little bit unhappy,” Ms Leavitt told reporters. “But we need this conflict to end.”

Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu were first holding talks with aides in the Oval Office and over a private lunch. A joint press conference is expected later.

Meanwhile, Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, said Palestinian officials stood ready to work with Mr Trump and Arab countries in bringing an end to the war.

“Let us not delay a single minute more in doing what is necessary for this just peace to replace the unbearable reality of today,” Mr Mansour said during a Security Council meeting on the Middle East.

– Trump growing more frustrated with conflict

Mr Trump joined forces with Mr Netanyahu during Israel’s brief war with Iran in June, ordering US stealth bombers to strike three nuclear sites, and he has supported the Israeli leader during his corruption trial, describing the case as a “witch hunt”.

But the relationship has become more tense lately. Mr Trump was frustrated by Israel’s failed strike this month on Hamas officials in Qatar.

Last week, Mr Trump vowed to prevent Israel from annexing the West Bank — an idea promoted by some of Mr Netanyahu’s hard-line governing partners. The international community opposes annexation, saying it would destroy hopes for a two-state solution.

On Friday, Mr Trump raised expectations for the meeting with Mr Netanyahu, telling reporters the US was “very close to a deal on Gaza”.