US President Donald Trump has outlined a proposed peace plan for Gaza that would see Hamas removed from its government and replaced with a technocratic board headed by Trump himself.
Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, the president released details of the plan, which he said Israel had agreed to.
There is no word on whether Hamas has agreed to the plan.
The plan calls for a temporary governing board that would be headed by Trump and include former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The 20-point plan released by the White House says the governing board will feature Palestinians, as part of the “technocratic, apolitical” committee.
It wouldn’t require people to leave Gaza if they don’t want to, and calls for the war to end if both sides accept immediately.
The plan also says all hostages held by Hamas would be released, with Israel releasing 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after October 7 2023, including all women and children.
It also says any Hamas member who lays down their arms will be given amnesty.
The meeting between the two leaders comes at a pivotal moment for Netanyahu, with increasing isolation for Israel on the world stage and a shaky coalition at home.
Despite being a steadfast supporter of Israel throughout the conflict, even Trump has shown signs of frustration at the conflict, expressing anger at Israel’s actions when attacking Iran and Qatar.
Netanyahu risked Trump’s wrath with the strike on Qatar earlier this month, which targeted Hamas’s senior negotiating team.
On Monday, the White House said Netanyahu called Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and apologised for the strike and expressed regret over the death of a Qatari serviceman.
The trilateral phone call with Trump, Al Thani and Netanyahu saw the leaders discussing normalising relations between Qatar and Israel.
The readout from the call said: “The leaders accepted the president’s proposal to establish a trilateral mechanism to enhance coordination, improve communication, resolve mutual grievances, and strengthen collective efforts to prevent threats.”
Last week, Trump vowed to prevent Israel from annexing the West Bank – an idea promoted by some of Netanyahu’s hard-line governing partners.
The international community opposes annexation, saying it would destroy hopes for a two-state solution.
Israel has also lost much goodwill abroad from many of its other traditional allies.
In recent weeks, 28 Western-aligned countries that circled behind Israel two years ago have called on it to end the offensive in Gaza. They also criticised Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid, which have contributed to famine in parts of Gaza.
Ten countries – including Britain, France, Canada and Australia – recognised Palestinian statehood last week, hoping to revive the long-moribund peace process. Several Arab states, including some with longstanding relations with Israel, have accused it of committing genocide in Gaza.
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