Trump upbeat about ending Gaza war

By Jennifer Hansler and Tim Lister

(CNN) — The Trump administration has proposed a 21-point Gaza peace plan that calls for all hostages held by Hamas to be released within 48 hours of an agreement and sets out a roadmap for Gaza once the war ends, according to a source familiar with the proposal.

US President Donald Trump has voiced optimism about resolving the conflict, saying Friday they’re “very close” to a deal, just days after his envoy said a “breakthrough” was possible.

Meanwhile, Israel’s assault in the enclave continues, with the military escalating its offensive in recent days and forcing many to flee Gaza City as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) pushes deeper into the urban area.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, however, vowed to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed.

The plan could be problematic for Netanyahu, given it recognizes aspirations for a Palestinian state – something firmly opposed by key members of his government.

The release of the hostages – about 20 of whom are thought to be still alive – would be in exchange for a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, according to the source.

The plan would deny Hamas any future role in the governance of Gaza, the source said. Instead, it calls for two levels of interim governance in the territory – an overarching international body and a Palestinian committee.

There is no timeline in the proposal for the international body to pass leadership of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which exercises nominal self-rule in parts of the occupied West Bank, and faces heavy restrictions by Israel.

The Israeli government has persistently rejected any role for the PA in running Gaza.

The plan does not indicate that the US would support the creation of a Palestinian state, but recognizes it as an aspiration of the Palestinians.

The Trump administration has been highly critical of moves by other governments, including the UK, France and Canada, to recognize a Palestinian state. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described it as reckless. However, the US plan could potentially offer a pathway to some form of Palestinian self-rule.

Netanyahu reiterated his opposition to a Palestinian state while speaking at the UN General Assembly on Friday, saying that “giving the Palestinians a state a mile from Jerusalem is like giving al-Qaeda a state one mile from New York City after September 11.”

The US blueprint also says there cannot be any forced displacement of Gaza’s population, according to the source. Earlier this year, Trump talked of the US taking over Gaza and rebuilding it while relocating its entire population of two million. Ever since, the Israeli government has supported the idea of depopulating Gaza of Palestinians, while saying it would not coerce residents to leave.

Deal presented to Arab states

Trump held a meeting with a number of leaders from Muslim nations, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Turkey, and Pakistan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, calling it his “most important meeting” of the day.

The US plan was presented to Arab states at the United Nations, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday. “We’re hopeful and, I might say, even confident that in the coming days we’ll be able to announce some sort of breakthrough,” Witkoff said.

The source familiar with the plan told CNN the plan specifically says that Israel will not attack Qatar again. Israel targeted Hamas leaders in Doha earlier this month with a series of airstrikes just days after Hamas said it was considering a different US proposal.

Trump has also voiced optimism about resolving the conflict, saying a deal is “very close.”

In a social media post Friday, Trump hailed what he called “inspired and productive discussions” with Middle Eastern partners to end the war in Gaza.

“Intense negotiations have been going on for four days and will continue for as long as necessary in order to get a Successfully Completed Agreement,” Trump wrote.

He added that “all of the countries within the region are involved, Hamas is very much aware of these discussions, and Israel has been informed at all levels, including Prime Minister Bibi (Benjamin) Netanyahu.”

It is unclear if Hamas has been presented with the proposal, which could have undergone revisions in recent days and may still be tweaked. It would likely be relayed through the Qataris to what remains of Hamas’ negotiating team in Doha.

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 due to meet with Trump at the White House on Monday.

Trump emphasized the goal of the negotiations is to get the hostages back and establish a “PERMANENT AND LONGLASTING PEACE.”

Netanyahu’s ‘safety net’

It remains to be seen how the plan would be received in Israel, where Netanyahu’s far-right coalition members have threatened to collapse the government if the war comes to an end before Hamas is eradicated. Far-right ministers are pushing for a full takeover of Gaza as well as for extending Israeli sovereignty over much or all of the occupied West Bank.

Israeli politiciansposted messages on social media about the peace planas Shabbat ended on Saturday. Far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvircame out in opposition, writing in a terse post on X that Netanyahu does “not have a mandate to end the war without the complete defeat of Hamas.”

Ben Gvir and far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have consistently opposed hostage deals and ceasefire arrangements throughout the war, pressing instead for continued and intensified military pressure and full occupation of the territory. The two have threatened to topple Netanyahu’s government if the war should end.

Minutes after Ben Gvir posted, Netanyahu’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar wrote in a post of his own that he trusts the prime minister “to represent Israel’s interests as required” in the talks with Trump. “After two years of war, Israel’s clear national interest is to end the war and achieve its objectives,” he said.

Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox coalition partners also have come out in support of a hostage deal that would end the war.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said Saturday that he had told US officials “that Netanyahu has a safety net from me for a hostage deal and an end to the war” in the event of far-right opposition to a peace plan.

“There is a majority for this in the Knesset (parliament) and a majority in the country,” Lapid wrote on X. “There’s no need to be alarmed by the empty threats of Ben Gvir and Smotrich.” CNN has reached out to Smotrich for comment.

‘Intensifying strikes’

For now, the Israeli military campaign in Gaza continues unabated.

The IDF says 700,000 people have left Gaza City since being ordered to do so earlier this month. CNN is unable to verify these numbers. Despite a mass exodus of Palestinians, hundreds of thousands of people are still believed to be in Gaza City.

Over the weekend, the Israeli military said it is “intensifying strikes” in Gaza, adding that it is using “autonomous explosive-armored vehicles” in Gaza City “to neutralize explosive devices” before troops move in.

Hospitals in the enclave reported that at least 96 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Saturday, the vast majority recorded in Gaza City.

Residents told CNN of Israel’s intensifying attacks. “An hour ago, the Israeli army detonated five robots in the Al-Sabra area. Every ten minutes one would explode,” Abu Yasser al-Khour, from Gaza City’s Al-Sabra neighborhood, said.

“The situation is extremely, extremely difficult in Tal al-Hawa and Al-Sabra near Al-Khour roundabout. Tanks are stationed there, and the planes and clashes never cease, the gunfire does not stop at all.”

Zakaria Bakr, 53, from Al-Shati Refugee Camp, west of Gaza City, told CNN the camp is almost empty. “All means of life there have disappeared. Entire alleys have been reduced to rubble.”

Israel’s military operation involves three divisions that have pushed to extend their control over the territory’s largest urban area in what Israel says is in an effort to extinguish Hamas strongholds.

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