Hamas reviewing Gaza peace plan as Trump warns it to accept deal

Proposal includes hostage exchange, Israeli withdrawal, Hamas disarmament

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US President Donald Trump has secured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s backing for a US-sponsored peace proposal to end a nearly two-year-old war in Gaza, but questions loomed over whether Hamas would accept the plan.

Speaking at a joint White House press conference on Sept 29 after a meeting with Mr Netanyahu, Mr Trump said they were “beyond very close” to an elusive peace deal for the Palestinian enclave.

But he warned the militant group Hamas that Israel would have full US support to take whatever action it deems necessary if the militants reject his offer.

The White House released a 20-point document that called for an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas disarmament, and a transitional government led by an international body.

Mr Trump said the framework had the support of other leaders from the Middle East and Muslim-majority nations, suggesting it could lay the ground for broader peace in the region. Singapore said on Sept 30 that it welcomes the latest proposal and called on Hamas to accept it.

The US leader went into the Sept 29 meeting seeking to overcome Mr Netanyahu’s misgivings over parts of the plan. It was not immediately clear whether the Trump administration and Israel had resolved all their differences, including over the possibility of a future Palestinian state - which Mr Netanyahu has forcefully rejected — and any role for the Palestinian Authority in the postwar governance of the enclave.

Mr Trump thanked Mr Netanyahu “for agreeing to the plan and for trusting that if we work together, we can bring an end to the death and destruction that we have seen for so many years, decades, even centuries”.