U.S. President Trump to Meet with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on Monday (Sept 29); Trump Says Gaza Peace Plan Receives "Very Good Response"
U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday (September 29). On the eve of the meeting, Trump stated that the Gaza peace plan he proposed has received a "very good response" and expressed confidence in convincing Netanyahu to accept the plan.
In a telephone interview with Reuters on Sunday, when asked about the 21-point Middle East peace plan he put forward recently, Trump said, "We’ve gotten a very good response because Bibi (Netanyahu’s nickname) also wants to make a deal. Everyone wants to make a deal."
He praised the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Jordan and other countries for jointly helping to advance the entire peace plan. He claimed that this Middle East peace plan would not only end the Gaza conflict but also facilitate broader peace in the Middle East.
Trump also posted on his social media platform Truth Social, suggesting that the Middle East negotiations would yield a "special result." However, he did not disclose specific details of the peace plan, only emphasizing, "We will definitely get this done."
It is learned that in New York on Sunday, U.S. Middle East Envoy Wittkopf and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Netanyahu at his hotel for two hours in advance. U.S. senior officials revealed that the two sides are close to reaching an agreement on the peace plan, but the plan still awaits Hamas’ approval.
U.S. news website Axios reported that Trump’s 21-point peace plan was drafted by Wittkopf and Kushner, integrating proposals discussed over the past year by the U.S., Israel, as well as countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, France and the United Kingdom.
The plan includes provisions such as a permanent ceasefire; the release of all hostages within 48 hours of the ceasefire taking effect; Israel’s phased withdrawal of troops from Gaza; amnesty for Hamas members who commit to abandoning violence, allowing them to stay in Gaza, while those who refuse may leave through safe passages; Israel’s commitment not to annex the West Bank, nor annex or occupy Gaza, and a pledge to never attack countries like Qatar.
In an interview with Fox News on Sunday (the 28th), Netanyahu revealed that Israel might grant amnesty to Hamas leaders on the condition that Hamas ends hostilities and releases all hostages, though specific details still need to be finalized.
Experts point out that Netanyahu is currently facing both international and domestic pressure to end the war. Among them, Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israel relations at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, told AFP, "He (Netanyahu) has no choice but to accept Trump’s ceasefire plan. The reason is simple: the United States and Trump are almost his only allies in the international community."
On the other hand, Hamas stated on Sunday that due to the Israeli military’s intense operations in two residential areas of Gaza City over the past two days, the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed faction, has lost contact with two Israeli hostages. Hamas demanded that the Israeli military suspend airstrikes on Gaza City and withdraw ground troops to allow the al-Qassam Brigades to locate the hostages.
After days of intense attacks, Israeli forces have advanced deep into Gaza City. Israeli officials estimate that more than 750,000 Palestinians have left Gaza City, accounting for three-quarters of its original population. Most of the remaining residents are crowded into the beach area on the western side of Gaza City, from where they can evacuate south along the coastal road to central and southern Gaza—areas designated by Israel as humanitarian zones.
Hamas’ health authority reported on Sunday that 80 more Palestinians were killed in Gaza in the past 24 hours. As the conflict nears the two-year mark, it has claimed the lives of over 66,000 Palestinians.
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