Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted US President Donald Trump’s 20 point peace proposal aimed at ending the nearly two year conflict in Gaza.
While it remains uncertain if Hamas will agree to the deal, diplomatic insiders told Al Jazeera that the group’s negotiators are currently reviewing the terms.
Speaking in Washington on Monday, Netanyahu described the proposal as a significant step toward halting the war and advancing peace in the Middle East.
“I support your plan to end the war on Gaza, which achieves our war aims. It will bring back to Israel all our hostages, dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities, end its political rule, and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel,” he said.
The initiative has already gained support from several Arab and European nations, as well as the Palestinian Authority.
At a joint press conference with Netanyahu, Trump said both sides were “beyond very close” to securing a peace agreement for the Palestinian territory.
“We’re not quite finished. We have to get Hamas, but I think they’re going to be able to do that. So now it’s time for Hamas to accept the terms of the plan that we have put forward today,” Trump declared.
The US president also issued a warning to Hamas, stressing that if the group rejects the deal, Israel would have Washington’s full support to “finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas.”
According to the plan, the steps would include an immediate ceasefire, the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas disarmament, and the creation of a transitional government overseen by an international body.
