■ TRUMP-NETANYAHU MEETING: U.S. President Trump said PM Netanyahu agreed to his plan to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of the hostages held by Hamas. The U.S. president said that according to the deal, Hamas members "who committed to coexistence" and decommission their weapons would receive amnesty, and that he himself would lead a "Board of Peace" that would oversee a Palestinian technocratic government that will temporarily govern postwar Gaza.
- According to Trump, Israel will withdraw from Gaza in phases, and would have full U.S. backing to destroy Hamas if it rejects the agreement. If Hamas agreed, Arab and Muslim countries "are going to be dealing with" it, according to Trump, who said "maybe even Iran can join the Abraham Accords."
- Standing alongside Trump, Netanyahu said he supports Trump's plan, adding that "if Hamas rejects Trump's plan, Israel will finish the job itself."
- The White House published Trump's 20 point plan to end the war in Gaza, release all hostages and rebuild a "New Gaza" following his meeting with Netanyahu. Further key points include:
■ If both Hamas and Israel agree to the plan, the Gaza war will immediately end. Israeli forces will make a partial withdrawal.
■ Within 72 hours, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be released.
■ Israel will then release 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences as well as 1700 Gazans detained after October 7
■ Humanitarian aid will start being conveyed to Gaza through the United Nations, the Red Crescent and other international institutions
■ No one will be forced to leave Gaza.
■ Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza.
■ While Gaza re-development advances and when the PA reform program is faithfully carried out, the "conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.
- In a three-way call with Trump from the White House, Netanyahu apologized to Qatar's PM Mohammed Al Thani for Israel's strike on Doha earlier this month targeting Hamas officials.
- Hamas official Mahmoud Mirdawi told Al Jazeera that the group has not yet received Trump's plan, and said it expresses a position close to the Israeli position, deeming it an "attempt to suppress the international momentum and the wave of recognition for a Palestinian state."
■ HOSTAGES/CEASE-FIRE: Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza lacks a clear timetable or implementation strategy, Palestinian and Arab sources told Qatar's Al-Araby, adding that the only clear sections concern the release of the hostages and the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Noticeably absent is a detailed plan for the withdrawal of IDF forces from Gaza, they said.
- Palestinian sources told Asharq Al Awsat that Trump's new plan allows Israel to attack Gaza in the event of a security threat, adding that Hamas is worried that Israel will propose far-reaching interpretations for the term "security threat" to resume IDF operations.
- Other sources said they have reservations about the proposal to establish a transitional international administrative authority in Gaza, fearing that the mechanism will turn into a permanent "foreign rule," severing Gaza from the West Bank and the Palestinian Authority.
- Released hostage Ilana Gritzewsky and two hostages' relatives asked to meet with Netanyahu's wife, Sara, during a visit to the Lubavitcher Rebbe's grave but were denied access.
- The Hostages and Missing Families Forum wrote an open letter to Trump on Sunday night, expressing support for his plan to end the war, and calling on him to "stand firm against any attempts to sabotage the deal you have proposed… The stakes are too high, and our families have waited too long, for any interference to derail this progress."
- Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said that he presented Netanyahu with his conditions to end the fighting in Gaza, which include "a genuine and complete withdrawal of Hamas from Gaza" and the Strip's demilitarization; continued IDF presence on the Philadelphi route along the Gaza-Sinai border; and barring the Palestinian Authority's involvement in governing Gaza.
"It is clear at this stage to the troops that Israeli hostages are present in the operational areas. Therefore, within the combat zone, the army has marked specific areas where hostages might be located, above and below ground. S., who recently assumed command of the brigade, is responsible for the tragic case in December 2023 in which Alon Shamriz, Yotam Haim, and Samer El-Talalka were killed after being held hostage in Gaza City's Shujaiyeh neighborhood. 'It is indeed our concern that a hostage could emerge from a tunnel or building and be accidentally struck,' he explains. 'It's a scenario that could happen again'" – Yaniv Kubovich, reporting from Gaza City |
…
