Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Donald Trump for his fourth official visit since Trump returned to the Oval Office. The two leaders discussed a new peace deal drafted by the Trump administration that they said could end the war in Gaza but also establish a more peaceful Middle East.
Hamas has said it has not seen the plan. However, officials have already said they would refuse to lay down their arms and rejected the idea of any international force controlling Gaza, both of which are parts of the latest plan.
The White House confirmed that during a meeting with Trump, Netanyahu apologized to Qatari officials over strikes in Doha. While he didn’t apologize for targeting Hamas, he did apologize for violating Qatar’s sovereignty and for a Qatari security guard who was killed in the strikes. Netanyahu also said Israel would not conduct a strike like that again.
The New York Times reported that a delegation of Qatari officials is in Washington to help achieve a deal to end the war.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said he welcomed the assurances. The two countries will also enhance coordination and improve communication to strengthen collective efforts.
Far-right Israeli ministers denounced the apology. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the apology “submissive” and a “disgrace.”
What was said at the press conference?
During the press conference, Trump discussed the plan, saying Hamas still needs to agree to it.
“We’re at a minimum, very, very close. And I think we’re beyond, very close,” Trump said. “Eternal peace in the Middle East.”
Trump also said that Palestinians would be encouraged to stay in Gaza and said they would have the “opportunity to build a better Gaza.” The deal also includes a line that keeps open the possibility for a Palestinian state under certain conditions, which the plan calls “the aspiration of the Palestinian people.”
However, Trump stressed that Israel would have his “full backing to finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas” if Hamas didn’t agree to the new plan.
Netanyahu said he fully supports the plan and noted that it aligns with Israel’s objectives. However, he said that Israel will go in and finish the job “by itself” if Hamas refuses the latest proposition.
“This can be done the easy way or done the hard way. But it will be done,” he said. “If Hamas rejects your plan, Mr. President, or if they supposedly accept and then basically do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself.”
What is the deal the US is pushing for?
The White House announced a 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza before the press conference began. It proposes an immediate ceasefire in the war-torn area and would require Hamas to release all remaining hostages within 72 hours, according to Trump.
In exchange, Israel would withdraw troops from Gaza in phases, with the aim of a permanent ceasefire. However, the timeline of the withdrawal was not specified. It also allows Israel to retain a buffer zone until “Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat,” but it did not go into details. Netanyahu stated that the buffer zone would remain in place “for the foreseeable future.”
The deal would also create a stabilization force composed of troops from the surrounding Arab states, which would provide security for the Gaza Strip and help demilitarize Hamas.
“Everyone understands that the ultimate result must be the elimination of any danger,” Trump said.
Before the press conference, White House officials said not only could this deal end the war in Gaza, it may also open the way for wider peace across the Middle East.
The plan also calls for Hamas to have no role in Gaza’s government. Gaza will be governed in two tiers, with an international body overseeing a Palestinian committee. Hamas has refused previous deals that included disarmament.
The proposal states there would be no more forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. The United Nations would also provide humanitarian aid under the plan. The role of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a creation of the U.S. and Israel, was not immediately clear.
Latest on the war in Gaza
Despite negotiations continuing with Israel, the Israeli military pushed on with its new assault on the city. According to witnesses The Guardian spoke to, troops are pushing into coastal areas crowded with hundreds of thousands of people taking shelter.
On Sunday, Israeli officials said its air force struck 140 military targets in Gaza in the last 24 hours.
Hamas has asked the Israeli Defense Forces to temporarily stop air strikes in one region of the city so it can try to locate two hostages it said it lost contact with.
“The lives of the two prisoners are in real danger and [Israeli] forces must immediately withdraw … to allow attempts to rescue the prisoners,” Hamas officials said in a statement.
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