On the evening of 29 September 2025, just before a joint press conference hosted by President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, a 20-point peace plan for Gaza was released by the US government. Netanyahu stated that the plan fulfilled Israel’s “war aims,” which include the release of all Israeli hostages, the disarming and exile of all Hamas leaders, and full demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip. Palestinian representatives were not involved in the formulation of this plan, which awaits acceptance by Hamas.
If accepted, the war will end immediately and Gaza will become a “deradicalised terror-free zone.” Within 72 hours, all twenty living Israeli hostages (out of a total of 48) will first be released, followed by 250 Palestinian serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans detained after 7 October 2023. The remains of 15 deceased Gazans will be released for every deceased Israeli hostage.
Hamas will no longer play any part in the governance of Gaza. All Hamas members who lay down their arms and accept a peaceful settlement will be amnestied and those who wish to leave Gaza will be guaranteed safe passage. “All military, terror, and offensive infrastructure”, including the extensive tunnel of networks will be demolished. Gaza will be demilitarised under the supervision of independent monitors.
“Full aid” will be sent immediately into Gaza, through the UN and its agencies, the Red Crescent, and other independent international agencies. A temporary International Stabilisation Force (ISF) will be deployed in Gaza, to train “vetted Palestinian forces” who will become responsible for the long-term internal security of the territory. “Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza” and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) will conduct a staged withdrawal, gradually handing over all occupied Gazan territory to the ISF. Gaza will come under the control of a transitional Palestinian committee, under the supervision of a transitional international “Board of Peace”, chaired by Donald Trump and including former British Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair as its first named member. Blair served as the international community’s special Middle East envoy between 2007 and 2015, but with limited success. The ultimate aim will be to return Gaza to the control of a reformed Palestinian Authority. Gaza’s residents will benefit meanwhile from a Trump economic development plan. A special economic zone will be established to facilitate investment in Gaza.
The Israelis and Palestinians will engage in constructive dialogue as they move towards peaceful coexistence, creating a situation conducive to Palestinian self-determination and statehood. Gaza will no longer pose a threat to its neighbours in Israel and Egypt.
The plan has received the blessings of the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Türkiye, Pakistan, and Indonesia and has been welcomed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as well as several European leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer. Some ultranationalist members of Netanyahu’s own cabinet disagree, seeing it as a capitulation to Hamas. Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has even likened the plan to Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement of the Nazis.
The Trump administration’s ambitious plan for Gaza has some merits. Trump appears to have exerted considerable leverage on Netanyahu to go along with the American proposals and to apologise to Qatar over the Israeli attack on Doha on 9 September. There are, however, some potential obstacles. A two-state solution has yet to accepted by either party to the conflict. Israel’s de facto border with the 25-mile-long Palestinian enclave of Gaza has not been formalised. The selection of Sir Tony Blair, a seasoned communicator on the international arena, but with a blemished record in the Middle East, has surprised some observers. Many of the proposals, including Palestinian deradicalisation and the reconstruction and resettlement of Gaza, are challenging long-term projects, but a good start will have been made if hostilities cease forthwith and all hostages are released.
Ashis Banerjee