The Palestinian Authority (PA) said it “welcomes” President Donald Trump’s “sincere and determined efforts” to end the war in Gaza after he unveiled a new peace plan for the territory alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The PA, which oversees parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said it “renews its joint commitment to work with the United States, regional states, and partners to end the war on Gaza through a comprehensive agreement.”
Why It Matters
The Gaza Strip was governed by the PA until 2007, when Palestinian militant group Hamas took over. Israel declared war in Gaza in fall 2023, after Hamas led the October 7 attacks that killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel. More than 250 people were taken into the enclave as hostages.
The Hamas-run health authorities in Gaza say more than 66,000 people have been killed in the strip since the start of the war. This figure does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, and is frequently criticized by Israeli officials but widely cited by Western sources.
What To Know
“We have affirmed our desire for a modern, democratic, and non-militarized Palestinian state, committed to pluralism and the peaceful transfer of power,” the PA said in a statement published by the Palestinian Wafa news agency early on Tuesday.
Under the new plan—which Hamas has yet to agree to—the war in Gaza would come to an immediate end, before the territory is “redeveloped” as a “deradicalized terror-free zone.” Israel would stop its extensive attacks on Gaza and pull back its ground forces in the enclave in stages.
Within 72 hours, all Israeli hostages would be returned. Netanyahu said in recent days he believed 20 of the 48 remaining hostages still in Gaza were alive.
Once Hamas releases the hostages, Israel will release 250 prisoners held under life sentences, as well as 1,700 Gazans who have been in Israeli custody since the October 7 attacks. Israel will hand over the remains of 15 Gazan residents for the remains of each Israeli hostage, according to the plan.
Increased aid would then flow into the territory, which would pass into the control of a “temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee.”
Former British Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair will be part of what the White House termed a “Board of Peace” overseeing the strip.
“This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program,” the White House said. Under the proposal, the U.S. said it would work with neighboring Arab countries and other global players to “immediately deploy” a “temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF)” in Gaza to train Palestinian police forces.
The White House said “no one will be forced to leave Gaza” and said it would “encourage” residents to stay and help rebuild the devastated territory. Previous comments from Trump had raised concerns that Gaza’s roughly two million residents would be forcibly relocated.
Israel will eventually withdraw to a “security perimeter” around Gaza, which would be in place “until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat.”
The proposal cuts Hamas from power entirely, although it states all members of the group who “commit to a peaceful co-existence” and to surrender their weapons will be “given amnesty.” Hamas members will be given the option of safe passage out of Gaza.
Hamas has not yet responded to the proposal. Israeli military action will continue in Gaza if Hamas delays or rejects the plan, according to the White House read out.
Newsweek has contacted Hamas for comment.
The 20-point plan leaves the door ajar to Palestinian statehood, although Netanyahu—who has consistently ruled out a Palestinian state—appeared to dismiss this chunk of the plan. The White House said it recognized the “aspiration of the Palestinian people” for statehood, which could be on the cards after reforming the PA and reconstruction is underway in Gaza.
The ideas were positively received by European and Middle Eastern leaders, including British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who said Hamas should “agree to the plan and end the misery.”
“President Trump’s Gaza plan is an opportunity for lasting peace,” the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said in a statement. “It offers the best immediate chance to end the war. The EU is ready to help it succeed.”
The U.K., along with France, Canada and several other countries, recognized a Palestinian state earlier this month as international condemnation of Israeli actions in Gaza grew.
A U.N. committee this month accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, which Israel strongly denied. United Nations-backed experts in August declared a famine in Gaza City, where Israel has concentrated a new offensive.
Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Indonesia said in a joint statement they had “confidence” in Trump’s ability to secure peace for Gaza, and would “engage positively and constructively” with Washington.
The Wafa news agency separately reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed medical sources, that three people were killed in a tent sheltering displaced Gazans close to the southern city of Khan Younis and six others were killed in central Gaza.
The Israeli military said in an update on Tuesday it had had attacked more than 160 “terror targets” in Gaza.
What People Are Saying
Netanyahu told Trump in a joint press conference on Monday: “You are the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House.”
The PA Response in Full
“The State of Palestine welcomes the sincere and determined efforts of President Donald J. Trump to end the war on Gaza and affirms its confidence in his ability to find a path toward peace. It also underscores the importance of the partnership with the United States in achieving peace in the region.
“It renews its joint commitment to work with the United States, regional states, and partners to end the war on Gaza through a comprehensive agreement that ensures the sufficient delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, the release of hostages and prisoners, the establishment of mechanisms to protect the Palestinian people, guarantee respect for the ceasefire and security for both sides, prevent annexation of land, stop the displacement of Palestinians, end unilateral actions that violate international law, release withheld Palestinian tax revenues, and lead to a full Israeli withdrawal.
“This would also ensure the unification of Palestinian land and institutions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, end the occupation, and open the path toward a just peace based on the two-state solution, with the independent and sovereign State of Palestine living side by side with the State of Israel in security, peace, and good neighborliness, in accordance with international legitimacy.
“Reaffirming the commitments undertaken by the State of Palestine at the International Conference in New York regarding the completion of the Palestinian reform program—including holding presidential and parliamentary elections within one year after the end of the war, and ensuring that all candidates in the elections adhere to the political program, international commitments, of the PLO, international legitimacy, and the principle of one system, one law, and one legitimate Palestinian security force.
“We have affirmed our desire for a modern, democratic, and non-militarized Palestinian state, committed to pluralism and the peaceful transfer of power.
“This also includes the commitment to implement the program for the development of curricula in line with UNESCO standards within two years, the abolition of laws and regulations under which payments are made to the families of prisoners and martyrs, and the establishment of a unified social welfare system subject to international auditing. The State of Palestine affirms its readiness to engage positively and constructively with the United States and all parties in order to achieve peace, security, and stability for the peoples of the region.”