A high-stakes U.S. peace plan to end the war in Gaza, championed by President Donald Trump, became the centerpiece of White House talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on September 29. The proposal calls for a ceasefire in exchange for the simultaneous release of all Israeli hostages seized on October 7, 2023. However, the plan, which would also require Israel to withdraw its forces and permit a new government in the enclave, has already triggered outrage from Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners, threatening a political crisis in Jerusalem.
The 21-point initiative, reportedly developed by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, was presented to Arab leaders last week. It demands a freeze on Israel’s ‘Chariots of Gideon’ military operation, which entered its most intense phase on August 20, in return for the freedom of the 48 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. The deal would also compel Israel to release several hundred Palestinian prisoners, including those serving life sentences and others detained since the war began.
Under the terms, a phased withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from Gaza would commence. Following the hostages’ return, amnesty would be offered to Hamas members committed to peaceful coexistence, while evacuation corridors to third countries would be opened for hardliners wishing to leave. The enclave’s governance would be transferred to a temporary government of Palestinian technocrats, a body that could potentially include the rival Palestinian National Authority (PA).
However, the path to an agreement is fraught with challenges. Sources told Axios that the mechanisms for demilitarizing Hamas and the future role of the PA remain major points of contention. According to the publication Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Israeli diplomats have already submitted significant amendments that render the plan’s implementation mechanisms “vague and non-specific,” with the exception of hostage release and humanitarian aid. These changes reportedly make it difficult to interpret and agree upon the framework, particularly the final point envisioning broader Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.
Despite the hurdles, President Trump projected optimism. “The Arab world wants peace, Israel wants peace, and Bibi wants peace,” he told Axios shortly before the meeting, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. “If we succeed, it will be a great day for Israel and for the entire Middle East.” While Hamas publicly stated it had not yet received a final proposal and that talks have been frozen since an alleged Israeli assassination attempt on its negotiators in Doha on September 9, it expressed readiness to consider any new offers with a “responsible and positive approach.”
Israel, for its part, has additional demands. According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Jerusalem is pushing Washington to weaken Qatar’s influence over post-war Gaza and insists that any agreement must explicitly preserve Israel’s full operational freedom to eliminate future “terrorist threats” from the territory. Meanwhile, Hamas officials are questioning whether the deal will specify a timeline for the Israeli withdrawal, which they fear could drag on for a decade, and are resisting calls for complete demilitarization, arguing that their arms are necessary for the security of the Palestinian people.
The most immediate threat to the deal comes from within Netanyahu’s own government. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, leaders of the far-right bloc, have vehemently rejected the plan. They insist the war must continue until Hamas is completely destroyed and oppose the release of Palestinian prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, and any role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza’s future, warning that it would be a step toward a Palestinian state. As talks commenced, the White House conceded that the plan would likely leave both sides dissatisfied, but framed it as a necessary step to finally end the two-year conflict.