Tuesday, 30 September 2025
Tuesday, 30 September 2025
President Donald Trump secured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's backing on Monday for a US-sponsored Gaza peace proposal to end a nearly two-year-old war in the Palestinian enclave, but questions loomed over whether Hamas would accept the plan.
While Netanyahu met Trump, the White House released a 20-point document that calls for a ceasefire, an exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas disarmament and a transitional government led by an international body.
Standing next to Trump, Netanyahu said: "I support your plan to end the war in Gaza, which achieves our war aims."
Hamas, which triggered the war with its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, still holds 48 hostages, 20 of them still alive, Israel says.
“Hamas hasn’t yet received the plan officially, nothing beyond media publication," a Hamas official told Reuters after the Trump and Netanyahu event.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed US President Donald Trump's efforts to end the war in Gaza with a new plan.
"We call on all sides to come together and to work with the US Administration to finalise this agreement and bring it into reality. Hamas should now agree to the plan and end the misery, by laying down their arms and releasing all remaining hostages." Starmer said.
The Palestinian Authority said that it welcomes the “sincere and tireless efforts to end the war on Gaza, and affirms its confidence in its ability to find a path to peace”.
It also called for the “establishment of mechanisms that protect the Palestinian people, ensure respect for the ceasefire and security for both parties, prevent the annexation of land and the displacement of Palestinians, halt unilateral actions that violate international law, release Palestinian tax funds, lead to a full Israeli withdrawal, and unify Palestinian land and institutions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” it said in a statement published by the Palestinian afa news agency.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has hailed Trump for his efforts to broker a ceasefire.
“I commend US President Donald Trump’s efforts and leadership aimed at halting the bloodshed in Gaza and achieving a ceasefire,” Erdogan said.
He added that Turkiye would continue to support the diplomatic process, and is committed to helping establish “a just and lasting peace acceptable to all parties”.
Barack Obama’s ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, said that while there were still a lot of details to be worked out, Trump’s plan was “credible”, adding the “Next step is to get Hamas to accept it, which requires strong pressure on them from Qatar and Turkey.”
Germany’s foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, warned Hamas that this “opportunity must not be wasted” in a statement (text is in German), Reuters reported.
Wadephul also said the plan “offers a unique opportunity to end the horrific war in Gaza."
“This opportunity must not be wasted. Hamas must seize it,” he wrote.
“I expect Israel to engage resolutely on this basis. Hamas has no choice but to immediately release all hostages and follow this plan,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on X.
“These elements must pave the way for in-depth discussions with all relevant partners to build a lasting peace in the region, based on the two-state solution and on the principles endorsed by 142 UN member states, at the initiative of France and Saudi Arabia.”
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Egypt released a joint statement welcoming Trump’s “sincere efforts to end the war in Gaza, and assert their confidence in his ability to find a path to peace”.
The statement went on to say that the countries are willing to work with the “United States to end the war in Gaza through a comprehensive deal that ensures unrestricted delivery of sufficient humanitarian aid to Gaza, no displacement of the Palestinians, the release of hostages, a security mechanism that guarantees the security of all sides, full Israeli withdrawal, rebuilds Gaza and creates a path for a just peace on the basis of the two state solution, under which Gaza is fully integrated with the West Bank in a Palestinian state in accordance with international law as key to achieving regional stability and security”.
The Italian government welcomed the proposal by Trump, saying it could "mark a turning point" and enable a "permanent cessation of hostilities, the immediate release of all hostages, and full and secure humanitarian access for the civilian population."
Italy said it will support Washington’s efforts to resume dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians.
Spain, one of the most vocal critics of Israeli genocide in Gaza, has also welcomed Trump’s peace proposal.
“We must put an end to so much suffering,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a post on X.
“It is time for the violence to cease, for the immediate release of all the hostages to take place, and for humanitarian aid to be provided to the civilian population.
“The two-State solution, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, is the only possible one.”
A UN-backed body recently confirmed that famine was taking place in Gaza City.
Earlier this month, a UN commission of inquiry concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza - which Israel strongly rejects.
