Desk Report:
US President Donald Trump has given Hamas, the armed group based in Gaza, a four-day ultimatum. He has warned that if it does not respond to his proposed 20-point peace plan for the Gaza crisis within that period, it will face severe consequences.
The White House released the plan after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday (September 29). It calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of prisoners in exchange for hostages, a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops and the establishment of an interim international administration. The plan also sets the goal of making Gaza a “zone free of extremism and terrorism” where Hamas will not be in power.
Trump said at a press conference that Hamas has “three to four days” to negotiate. He said there is not much room for negotiation. In his words, “Hamas will do it or they will not do it. And if they don’t, it will end very sadly.’
Later, at a Defense Department event at the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia, Trump said in more stern language, ‘We only need one signature. And if they don’t sign that, there will be a price to pay in hell.’
He made it clear that Israel would have his full support if Hamas rejected or violated the plan.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had taken a stand in favor of Trump’s plan and warned that if Hamas rejected the plan, Israel would finish the job alone.
Notably, Hamas was not included in the talks. The plan required the organization to completely disarm, which it has long rejected.
However, mediators Qatar and Egypt delivered Trump’s proposal to Hamas on the night of September 29. Sources close to the talks said that Hamas had promised to review the plan honestly. Their official response has not yet been received.
About a dozen Arab and Muslim-majority countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, have backed Trump’s peace initiative. The Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs the West Bank, has also welcomed the plan. It has called it a “sincere and determined effort to bring peace to Gaza.”
The proposal would see the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs the West Bank, assume control of Gaza once the conflict ends and necessary reforms are implemented.
