Hamas given a take-it-or-leave-it offer by US

So now it’s over to Hamas. This is a take-it or-leave-it offer to Hamas – what some are already calling a surrender document.

But, even if it rejects the deal, point 17 says the deal will be implemented anyway in the areas of Gaza that Israel controls.

Benjamin Netanyahu came to Washington and apparently signed on to the 20-point proposal from the US. It will be a hard sell to the right-wing of his government back home. But he does have other parliamentary options to stay in power – at least for the short term – to see the hostages home and start implementation of the plan.

The hard bit for him to accept is point 19 – the “credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognise as the aspiration of the Palestinian people”.

For Hamas, there are no options: either they sign up to decommission and disappear – or face continued war.

Donald Trump said that, if Hamas does reject the proposal, then Israel will have his full backing to “finish the job” – in other words, finish Hamas by bullet and bomb.

But Mr Trump said he expects a positive outcome, suggesting the Arab states in the region have already been in touch with Hamas.

The plan was originally 21 points – but a requirement that Israel commit not to bomb Qatar again was dropped after Mr Netanyahu phoned the Emir of Qatar to apologise for the recent bomb attack on Hamas leaders in Doha.

In sum, it calls for an immediate end to the war.

All the hostages, living and dead, have to be returned to Israel within 72 hours (an earlier draft said 48 hours) and the UN and Red Crescent will resume aid distribution to Palestinian civilians “without interference from either side”.

But this is not just a plan for a halt to the fighting and the famine – it is supposed to be a regional agreement that the Americans hope will be the beginning of a transformation of Arab-Israeli relations, and powerful catalyst for economic development in the Middle East.

Think about Mr Trump’s speech in Saudi Arabia in May and the vision set out there.

Most especially recall Mr Trump’s denunciation of Western efforts to dictate the course of events in the Middle East. So America wants to minimise its role in the region – at least when it comes to spending money and deploying troops, which have been ruled out.

The plan wants the future to be funded primarily by neighbouring Arab countries and it wants other people – not Americans – to deploy as peacekeepers on the ground.

But, of course, America will be involved, not least as the ultimate guarantor of the state of Israel. And it is the country that has pulled this agreement together.

Mr Trump also thanked the Emir of Qatar for his role as mediator.

“Now it’s time for Hamas to accept the terms of the deal we have put forward. It’s a different type of Hamas now, as their leadership has been killed three times over,” said President Trump, adding, “everyone who wants to see an end to the violence and destruction should call on Hamas to accept this extremely fair agreement”.

What then of Gaza? All talk of the “Gaza Riviera” is gone. Nobody is to be forced to leave the territory and it is to be reconstructed “for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough”. That is point two of the agreement.

There is a pathway to an eventual Palestinian state, but, on the way there, Gaza is to be overseen by an international transitional authority.

There is to be an international board – yet to be appointed – but one person Mr Trump named was Tony Blair, the former British prime minister who has been very active behind the scenes, working towards this plan and advising Mr Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff (as has Jared Kushner, Mr Trump’s son-in-law and former Middle East Envoy).

Mr Trump himself will chair the body, which is supposed to supervise the disarmament and dismantling of Hamas.

“This can be done the easy way or the hard way, but it must be done,” said Mr Netanyahu – encouraging Hamas to sign on to the plan or face annihilation “by Israel alone”.

Gaza would be run on a day-to-day basis by Palestinian civil servants and technocrats. Over time, the Gaza International Transitional Authority would hand over control to a new Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority in Ramallah is supposed to undergo a deep reform before it takes over the running of Gaza.

Hamas currently insists that it is in charge of security in Gaza. Under the plan, Israel will assume immediate security responsibility, but is supposed to hand over to an international force. Again, this is not specified in the deal, but rumours of involvement by Turkey and Indonesia have been doing the rounds – both of them large, capable countries with strong militaries.

They would likely be augmented by troops from Arab countries – but not too many as Israel would not feel comfortable with Arab states building up forces in Gaza.

This is the take it or leave it offer to Hamas.

The 20-Point proposal:

1. Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.

2. Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.

3. If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end. Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed upon line to prepare for a hostage release. During this time, all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal.

4. Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned.

5. Once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1700 Gazans who were detained after October 7th 2023, including all women and children detained in that context. For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans.

6. Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.

7. Upon acceptance of this agreement, full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip. At a minimum, aid quantities will be consistent with what was included in the January 19, 2025, agreement regarding humanitarian aid, including rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads.

8. Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference from the two parties through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international institutions not associated in any manner with either party. Opening the Rafah crossing in both directions will be subject to the same mechanism implemented under the January 19, 2025 agreement.

9. Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza. This committee will be made up of qualified Palestinians and international experts, with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, the “Board of Peace,” which will be headed and chaired by President Donald J. Trump, with other members and heads of State to be announced, including Former Prime Minister Tony Blair. This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program, as outlined in various proposals, including President Trump’s peace plan in 2020 and the Saudi-French proposal, and can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza. This body will call on best international standards to create modern and efficient governance that serves the people of Gaza and is conducive to attracting investment.

10. A Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza will be created by convening a panel of experts who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East. Many thoughtful investment proposals and exciting development ideas have been crafted by well-meaning international groups, and will be considered to synthesize the security and governance frameworks to attract and facilitate these investments that will create jobs, opportunity, and hope for future Gaza.

11. A special economic zone will be established with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries.

12. No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.

13. Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form. All military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt. There will be a process of demilitarization of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing weapons permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning, and supported by an internationally funded buy back and reintegration program all verified by the independent monitors. New Gaza will be fully committed to building a prosperous economy and to peaceful coexistence with their neighbors.

14. A guarantee will be provided by regional partners to ensure that Hamas, and the factions, comply with their obligations and that New Gaza poses no threat to its neighbors or its people.

15. The United States will work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) to immediately deploy in Gaza. The ISF will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and will consult with Jordan and Egypt who have extensive experience in this field. This force will be the long-term internal security solution. The ISF will work with Israel and Egypt to help secure border areas, along with newly trained Palestinian police forces. It is critical to prevent munitions from entering Gaza and to facilitate the rapid and secure flow of goods to rebuild and revitalize Gaza. A deconfliction mechanism will be agreed upon by the parties.

16. Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza. As the ISF establishes control and stability, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will withdraw based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization that will be agreed upon between the IDF, ISF, the guarantors, and the Unites States, with the objective of a secure Gaza that no longer poses a threat to Israel, Egypt, or its citizens. Practically, the IDF will progressively hand over the Gaza territory it occupies to the ISF according to an agreement they will make with the transitional authority until they are withdrawn completely from Gaza, save for a security perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat.

17. In the event Hamas delays or rejects this proposal, the above, including the scaled-up aid operation, will proceed in the terror-free areas handed over from the IDF to the ISF.

18. An interfaith dialogue process will be established based on the values of tolerance and peaceful co-existence to try and change mindsets and narratives of Palestinians and Israelis by emphasizing the benefits that can be derived from peace.

19. 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, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people.

20. The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence.