JERUSALEM (dpa-AFX) - Leaders of the Middle East and Europe have welcomed a peace plan for Gaza proposed by the Trump administration.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan have welcomed President Donald Trump's 'leadership and his sincere efforts to end the war in Gaza', and added that they were ready to engage with the Trump administration to finalize and implement the agreement.
European Council President Antonio Costa said he was 'encouraged by Prime Minister Netanyahu's positive response' to the peace plan.
The peace plan, announced by Trump and visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a joint news conference at the White House Monday, envisages making Gaza 'a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors'.
Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of its people.
If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end, says the 20-point plan published by the White House. Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed upon line to prepare for a hostage release. During this time, all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal.
Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, Hamas must return all hostages, including those alive and the bodies of the dead.
Reports say 20 Israeli hostages are currently under Hamas' custody while more than two dozen hostages are believed to be dead.
Once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners and 1700 Gazans, including women and children, who were detained after the October 7, 2023 attack. For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans.
Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.
Upon acceptance of this agreement, full humanitarian aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip. This will include rehabilitation of infrastructure, rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads.
Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed through UN agencies, the Red Crescent, and other independent international institutions. Opening the Rafah crossing will be subject to the implementation of the peace plan.
Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee. It will made up of 'qualified' Palestinians and international experts, with supervision by a new international transitional body called the 'Board of Peace'. The U.S. President will chair the Board, with other members and heads of State to be announced, including Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The proposal makes it clear that Hamas and other factions will have no role in the future governance of Gaza.
All military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and weapons will be decommissioned.
The United States will work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) to immediately deploy in Gaza.
The plan also says Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza. As the ISF establishes control and stability, the Israel Defense Forces will withdraw from the war-torn Palestinian enclave based on 'standards, milestones, and timeframes'.
Trump told reporters that Washington will support Netanyahu to 'finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas' if the militant outfit fails to agree to the plan.
But in a video statement issued later, Netanyahu insisted on his opposition to a Palestinian state. 'It's not written in the agreement. We said we would strongly oppose a Palestinian state,' he said.
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