US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Washington was “very close” to securing peace in the Gaza conflict, adding that Israel would withdraw from the besieged strip “in phases” under a 20-point plan he unveiled after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Addressing a press conference alongside Netanyahu, Trump thanked the Israeli for agreeing to a peace plan that would end the war in Gaza and said he himself was hopeful Hamas would accept it as well.
"I also want to thank Prime Minister 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've seen for so many years," Trump said.
The announcement comes as the death toll in Gaza surpassed 66,000, mostly women and children, with the United Nations and human rights groups concluding that Israel’s actions amount to a genocide.
Speaking on the peace plan Trump said a timeline would be drawn for the Israeli forces to withdraw from the Palestinian enclave in phases. "Working with the new transitional authority in Gaza, all parties will agree on a timeline for Israeli forces to withdraw in phases," he told reporters.
Hamas also has yet to give its approval but Trump said he was hopeful the militant group was in favor. However, the US President warned that Israel would have his "full backing" to destroy Hamas if the armed Palestinian group rejected Washington's peace proposal.
"Israel would have my full backing to finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas but I hope that we're going to have a deal for peace and if Hamas rejects the deal, which is always possible, they're the only one left. Everyone else has accepted it but I have a feeling that we're going to have a positive answer," he said.
Trump's plan, according to The Times of Israel and US news site Axios, calls for an immediate ceasefire, a phased Israeli withdrawal and the release of hostages within 48 hours. Israel would then free more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including several serving life terms.
The 20 point plan states that on agreement by both sides, "the war will immediately end" with Israeli withdrawals timed to release of the last hostages held by Hamas. During that initial period, there would be a ceasefire.
Key points include deployment of a "temporary international stabilization force" and creation of a transitional authority headed by Trump.
The deal would demand Hamas militants fully disarm and be excluded from future roles in the government. However, those who agreed to "peaceful co-existence" would be given amnesty. Following Israeli withdrawal, the borders would be opened to aid and investment.
In a crucial change from Trump's earlier apparent goals, Palestinians will not be forced to leave and instead, the document said, "we will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza."
The US president had met key Arab leaders at the United Nations last week and said Sunday on social media that "ALL ARE ON BOARD FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL, FIRST TIME EVER."
Normally a staunch ally of Netanyahu, the US president has shown increasing signs of frustration ahead of the Israeli premier's fourth White House visit since Trump's return to power.
He warned Netanyahu last week against annexing the Israeli-occupied West Bank, as some of Netanyahu's cabinet members have urged, and also opposed Israel's recent strike on Hamas members in key US ally Qatar.
Families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza urged Trump to uphold his Gaza proposal. "We respectfully ask you to stand firm against any attempts to sabotage the deal you have brought forth," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in an open letter to Trump.
The outcome may hinge on how far Trump pushes Netanyahu, said Natan Sachs, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. "Netanyahu has a clear preference for continuing the war and defeating Hamas, but I don't think it's impossible for Trump to convince him otherwise," Sachs told AFP.