The U.S. president has given Hamas 72 hours to release all hostages following Israel’s public acceptance of the agreement.
WASHINGTON—U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached an agreement on Sept. 29 on the U.S.-proposed Gaza peace plan introduced last week, marking a breakthrough for Trump’s push toward a Middle East peace deal.
While both leaders touted the 20-point plan in a joint press conference at the White House, it became clear that without terrorist group Hamas’s consent, the deal cannot move forward. Netanyahu vowed Israel will “finish the job by itself” in Gaza if Hamas rejects the proposal, while Trump pledged full U.S. support in that scenario.
Following Israel’s public acceptance of the agreement, Trump has given Hamas 72 hours to release all hostages—both alive and deceased—it took during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The central question now is whether Hamas will comply, as well as whether Arab states will step in to pressure the terrorist group to come to the table.
Israel Gives Green Light
Last week, the Trump administration unveiled a peace plan for Gaza, presenting it to Arab leaders on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City.
Netanyahu, on the eve of his White House meeting with Trump, told Fox News that Israel had not yet committed to the plan, though it was working closely with Trump’s team to shape it. He pointed to several sticking points, including any potential governing role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, which he described as a “red line.”
On the question of amnesty, Netanyahu said Hamas members would only be eligible if they agreed to leave Gaza. These remarks suggested that a deal was still far off.
However, after nearly three hours of talks with Trump on Sept. 29, Netanyahu accepted the finalized agreement. The deal included Israel’s withdrawal to an agreed line, a suspension of all military operations in Gaza, and the release of 250 prisoners serving life sentences, along with 1,700 Gazans detained after Oct. 7, 2023.
The peace plan also states that when the Palestinian Authority completes its reform program, it could prepare the conditions for “a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
“This is a big, big day, a beautiful day—potentially one of the great days ever in civilization,” Trump said as he opened the press conference with Netanyahu at the White House.
Trump thanked Arab, Muslim, and European leaders for supporting the proposal, and praised Netanyahu for endorsing it, which he said will “bring an end to the death and destruction.”
On Sept. 29, Netanyahu also called Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to apologize for violating Qatari sovereignty during Israel’s recent strikes against Hamas leaders in Doha.
By Emel Akan
