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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office in April 2025. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)
By Tal Shalev, Oren Liebermann, Kit Maher, CNN
(CNN) — US President Donald Trump has promised “something special” is coming on Gaza as Israeli officials say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reservations about the White House’s 21-point ceasefire and post-war governance plan.
The two leaders will meet on Monday for a high-stakes discussion that Trump has boasted could end the war in Gaza. Trump projected optimism on Sunday as his administration works to close a comprehensive plan that would include the release of all hostages held by Hamas.
“We have a real chance for GREATNESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST,” Trump wrote on social media. “ALL ARE ON BOARD FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL, FIRST TIME EVER. WE WILL GET IT DONE!!! President DJT.”
But in an interview with The Sunday Briefing on Fox News on Sunday afternoon, Netanyahu did not say he had accepted the plan. “We’re working on it,” he said. “It’s not been finalized yet.”
Hamas said on Sunday that it had not received any new proposals for a ceasefire. In a statement, it reiterated “readiness to examine any proposals it receives from its mediator brothers in a positive and responsible manner, while upholding the national rights of our people.”
Netanyahu is expected to present reservations and push for changes to the ceasefire plan, three Israeli officials said Sunday, underscoring the difficulty of closing a deal, even if many of the details have been worked out in advance.
Most of the 21-point plan was coordinated with Netanyahu in advance “in close detail,” one of the Israeli officials said, adding that the White House knows Israel will oppose certain elements, such as the role of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the reference to aspirations of a future Palestinian state.
“Netanyahu will not accept all of the outline as it has been initially published,” said one official. A second official said he would likely try to make more changes before the US finalizes the proposal “and afterwards as well.”
Netanyahu met with Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner on Thursday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York City to discuss the plan. Trump presented the ceasefire and post-war plan to Arab states at the UN on Tuesday.
“The dynamics appear more serious this time,” said a senior Israeli official, “but it still needs to cross the final line.” The last round of negotiations, which were also marked by significant optimism, fell apart in late-July when the US surprisingly withdrew from the talks, followed closely by Israel. Both countries blamed Hamas for not negotiating in good faith.
Since then, key mediators Egypt and Qatar have tried to restart negotiations without success. Days after the US presented a new ceasefire proposal earlier this month, an Israeli strike in Doha targeting senior Hamas’ leaders derailed talks entirely. In his television interview Sunday, Netanyahu did not apologize for the strike.
“Our goal was Hamas. Not anything beyond it,” he said. “I think we can work out an understanding on this.”
Netanyahu’s far-right political allies, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, have consistently threatened to topple the government if the war should end, and they are expected to adamantly object to any plan that includes the PA, the internationally recognized Palestinian government based in the occupied West Bank..
“Mr. Prime Minister, you do not have a mandate to end the war without a complete defeat of Hamas,” Ben Gvir wrote on X on Saturday.
On Monday, Smotrich laid out a series of “non-negotiable” demands on X, declaring that he opposes any involvement of the PA in postwar Gaza as well as any mention of future statehood for the Palestinians in a deal to end the war.
He also called for the demilitarization of Hamas and the expulsion of its leadership from Gaza, insisting that Israel maintain permanent military control over the territory’s perimeter.
Smotrich also demanded that there be “no involvement of Qatar in Gaza,” pointing to what he sees as its support for Hamas and anti-Israel media activity. He said that Gaza residents who wish to leave the strip would be allowed to do so through Egypt.
Ahead of the meeting between Trump and Netanyahu, families of the hostages held a rally in New York’s Central Park, demanding an end to the war in what they see as a critical moment. Dani Miran, the father of hostage Omri Miran, said at the rally, “We do not lose hope. We keep fighting to bring Omri and all the remaining hostages home.”
Many of the hostage families have grown increasingly angry with Netanyahu, accusing him of pursuing the war for political reasons. The recent decision to assault Gaza City, where a number of the 20 living hostages are believed to be held, only added to the fury on display on Sunday.
Ilana Gritzweski, a freed hostage who is the partner of captive Matan Zangauker, said, “Netanyahu chose to bomb Matan and the other hostages. He chose death over life. President Trump, you have the power to end the war and bring all the hostages home.”
CNN’s Eugenia Yosef contributed.
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