The US President Donald Trump has offered a new 20-point Gaza plan to end the war. The plan offers an immediate end to the war in the Gaza Strip that has caused immense suffering to the civilians.
As the plan highlights multiple issues to end the conflict, it still lacks details on how to address some of the key issues the plan offers. But, one thing the plan has made clear is that there will be no space for Hamas in the governance of the Gaza Strip.
Trump's new Gaza plan
The White House released a statement titled ‘President Donald J. Trump’s comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict’.
As per the plan, there will be an immediate end to the two-year-long war in Gaza if both Hamas and Israel accept the plan. The plan mentions that Hamas has to release all the hostages, dead or alive, within 72 hours after Israel publicly accepts the offer. The Israeli military forces will withdraw to an agreed-upon line and stop all the military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, during the hostage exchange.
Once Hamas releases all the hostages, Israel is supposed to release 25 Palestinian prisoners who are serving life sentences in Israeli prisons and 1,700 more, including women and children, who have been arrested by the Israeli Defence Forces since October 7, 2023.
Israel will also release the dead bodies of 15 Palestinians who have been killed in prisons in exchange for deceased Israeli hostages.
Following the hostage exchange, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommissioning of their weapons will be given amnesty. Also, Hamas members who wish to leave Gaza will be given safe passage to countries that wish to receive them.
Upon agreeing to the deal, full aid will be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip without any interference from the two parties. As the aid is allowed to enter the Strip, this will also pave the way to the opening of the crucial Rafah border crossing.
Gaza governance
As the plan leaves no space for Hamas to govern the Gaza Strip, a "technocratic and apolitical Palestinian committee" will take the role of governance.
The committee will consist of Palestinian and international experts, it will be supervised by a new international transitional body called “Board of Peace. The board will be headed by Donald Trump himself, along with few more members on the board, like other heads of state and international officials, including former British prime minister, Tony Blair.
The board will also formulate development and investment proposals for a better Gaza Strip.
The plan highlights that there will be no occupation or annexation of the Gaza Strip, which is in sharp contrast to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition partners' demands.
The United States along with the other Arab and international partners, will create a temporary International Stabilisation Force (ISF) and immediately deploy it in Gaza.
The ISF will be tasked to train vetted Palestinian police forces. In coordination with Israel and Egypt, the ISF and trained Palestinian police forces will secure the border areas.
The plan, however, is vague about establishing the state of Palestine, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly opposed.
The plan seeks an interfaith dialogue process and reforms in the Palestinian Authority that governs the West Bank, to promote peaceful coexistence. The process is aimed at Palestinian self-determination and statehood.
