Cliff Notes
- Donald Trump has given Hamas a three to four-day deadline to accept a peace plan, with threats of Israeli military action if declined.
- The proposal requires Hamas to release all hostages and disarm, while Gaza would be under international control and administration.
- Initial reactions from various international leaders suggest cautious optimism, with the Palestinian Authority expressing support for Trump’s efforts towards peace.
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Clock counts down on Hamas to accept peace plan – or Trump to let Israel ‘destroy’ it
The clock is counting down on a deadline set by Donald Trump for Hamas to accept his peace plan for Gaza.
In his distinct style, the US president yesterday said the militant group had three to four days to agree to the Israel-backed proposal.
Hamas says it is studying the plan “in good faith” with other Palestinian factions before responding.
The allied – but much smaller – Palestinian Islamic Jihad has publicly rejected it. The group is believed to hold some Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Trump said Israel would have his “full backing” to destroy Hamas if the group does not agree to the deal.
What is the proposal?
The proposal demands Hamas release all hostages and effectively surrender and disarm in return for an end to fighting, humanitarian aid for Palestinians and the promise of reconstruction in Gaza.
Gaza’s two million people would be put under the control of an international security force and “Board of Peace” administration headed by Trump and Tony Blair.
The international security force would train Palestinian police to take over law enforcement eventually, while Gaza would remain surrounded by Israeli troops.
The proposal, on its face, meets Hamas’s main demands, but stipulates “Hamas will not be present the day after [the war] at all,” said analyst Sadeq Abu Amer, head of the Turkey-based think tank Palestinian Dialogue Group.
That’s in addition to the “international guardianship over the Gaza Strip, its separation from its territory and its separation from the West Bank and the freezing of the path of a two-state solution”, Abu Amer said.
But given the balance of power in the field and pressure from its regional allies, Abu Amer said it was likely Hamas would “take the poison and accept this initiative”.
Reaction
The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt welcomed the plan.
The Palestinian Authority said: “The State of Palestine welcomes the sincere and determined efforts of President Donald J. Trump to end the war on Gaza and affirms its confidence in his ability to find a path toward peace.”
Pope Leo XIV called the plan a “realistic proposal” with interesting elements.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it “provides a viable pathway to long-term and sustainable peace”.
The UN’s humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said the Trump plan “opens new possibilities” to deliver aid at the scale needed.
“We are beginning our planning efforts, and we will be reaching out both to the parties on the ground and to the US and others,” said UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.
