US President, Donald Trump has issued an ultimatum for Hamas to accept his 20-point peace plan for Gaza by Sunday.
In a Truth Social post, Trump denounced Hamas as a “ruthless and violent threat” and pressured it to accept his proposal.
“An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time. Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.”
Donald Trump
Trump unveiled the plan alongside Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week. There, Trump told Hamas it had 72 hours to accept the proposal. On Tuesday, he gave the Palestinian group three to four days to agree to the plan.
Trump’s proposal sets forth a plan to “redevelop” Gaza into a “deradicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours.” It also calls on Hamas to “agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form.”
In exchange, aid will be allowed into Gaza, where famine has been declared for half a million people.
The plan calls for Hamas to release Israeli captives and the bodies of those who died. Israel, in return, will release the 1,170 Gazans who were detained after the start of the war in October 2023, plus 250 people sentenced to life imprisonment.
The plan also calls for the establishment of a “Board of Peace”, led by Trump himself and helmed by other Heads of state, including former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
Civilians would not be required to evacuate the territory, something that Trump had floated before. Hamas would be required to disarm. Surviving fighters would be allowed to leave.
Hamas said on Tuesday that it would study the proposal.
In his Truth Social post, Trump repeatedly called the proposal Hamas’s “last chance” to come to the bargaining table. He also reiterated warnings that Hamas would face heavy losses should it fail to acquiesce to his plan.
He asserted that more than 25,000 Hamas ‘soldiers’ have already been killed “as retribution for the October 7th attack on civilization.”
He threatened Hamas several times in the post, claiming its members “are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, ‘GO,’ for their lives to be quickly extinguished.”
“As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down, and killed. I am asking that all innocent Palestinians immediately leave this area of potentially great future death for safer parts of Gaza. Everyone will be well cared for by those that are waiting to help.”
Donald Trump
Sticking Points In Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan
Experts pointed out that there are sticking points in Trump’s plan. There are questions on whether Hamas will agree to disarm since it has repeatedly said it would not, as the main face of Palestinian armed resistance.
The current proposal also nods vaguely at how reforms may open a pathway to Palestinian statehood, which is not recognised as a right but as the “aspiration of the Palestinian people.”
Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty pointed out that more talks were needed. “There are a lot of holes that need to be filled; we need more discussions on how to implement it, especially on two important issues – governance and security arrangements,” Abdelatty said on Thursday.
Earlier today, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar said that 20-point plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza is not the same as the draft proposed by a group of Arab and Muslim countries. “I made it clear that the 20 points that President (Donald) Trump made public are not ours. Changes were made to our draft. I have the record,” Dar said, speaking to politicians on Friday, according to remarks carried by a news agency.
The published document was presented as a joint effort between Israel, the US and a number of Arab and Muslim countries.
Last week, several leaders from the Arab and Muslim world discussed the plan at a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
