US President Donald Trump will push a new peace plan to end the Israel-Gaza war during White House talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.
Trump has expressed optimism about reaching an agreement, telling journalists on Friday: “I think we have a deal.” Netanyahu, however, said on Sunday “it’s not been finalised yet,” while Hamas insisted they had not formally received the proposal.
Leaked details reported by US and Israeli media suggest the plan requires the release of all hostages within 48 hours of its confirmation. In exchange, Israel would free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences. Hamas members who agree to peace would be offered amnesty and safe passage out of Gaza, while the group itself would be excluded from any future role in the territory. The Israel Defense Forces would dismantle Hamas’s military infrastructure and gradually withdraw, leaving Gaza under the control of an interim transitional government.
The proposal represents a sharp departure for the Trump administration, which previously floated relocating Gaza’s entire population and redeveloping the enclave into a US-owned “riviera.” This time, Palestinians would be encouraged to remain in Gaza, with the Palestinian Authority (PA) expected to play a role in governance after reforms.
That provision directly clashes with Netanyahu’s longstanding opposition to Palestinian statehood. Just last week at the United Nations General Assembly, he denounced the PA as “corrupt to its core” and vowed not to allow the creation of a Palestinian state. His far-right coalition partners remain even more hardline. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said his party would reject any plan that mentions Palestinian statehood or grants the PA authority in Gaza, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir argued Netanyahu has “no mandate” to end the war without “a decisive defeat of Hamas.”
Still, opposition leader Yair Lapid has offered Netanyahu support for a hostage deal and cease-fire, saying the prime minister “has a majority in the Knesset and a majority in the country” and should ignore threats from ultranationalists.
Netanyahu faces mounting domestic pressure to resolve the crisis. Families of the 48 remaining hostages—20 of them believed to be alive—have demanded urgent action, while public opinion polls show declining patience with the prolonged conflict.
Trump, meanwhile, has voiced frustration with Israeli strikes on Qatar, a US ally, that targeted Hamas leadership earlier this month. He has also ruled out allowing Israel to annex the occupied West Bank, warning that such a move would complicate broader regional diplomacy after several European nations recognized Palestine.
Last week, Trump met with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, calling it his “most important meeting” of the UN General Assembly. US special envoy Steve Witkoff said afterward: “We’re hopeful and, I might say, even confident that in the coming days we’ll be able to announce some sort of breakthrough.”
On social media over the weekend, Trump wrote: “We have a real chance for GREATNESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. ALL ARE ON BOARD FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL, FIRST TIME EVER. WE WILL GET IT DONE!!!”
The war began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and led to the capture of 251 hostages. Since then, at least 66,055 people have been killed in Israeli operations in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. A UN-backed body confirmed famine in Gaza City in August, and earlier this month, a UN commission of inquiry accused Israel of committing genocide—a charge Israel rejects.
