“We have a real chance for Greatness in the Middle East. All are on board for something special, first time ever. We will get it done,” he said in a Truth Social post.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
US President Donald Trump hopes to finalize his 21-point peace plan for Gaza during his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.
Trump told Reuters in a phone interview on Sunday that “everybody wants to make the deal.” He added that he has gotten a “very good response” from both Israeli and Arab leaders to the proposal, which he hopes will achieve a broader peace in the Middle East beyond Gaza.
Separately, the US president said that negotiations over his plan to end the war in Gaza are “at their final stages” and asserted that a deal could open the way for wider peace in the Middle East, Axios reported on Sunday night.
Earlier on Sunday, just days after saying he was close to forging a deal to end the war in Gaza, Trump stated on his Truth Social social media platform that there was “a real chance for greatness in the Middle East,” without providing specific details.
“We have a real chance for Greatness in the Middle East. All are on board for something special, first time ever. We will get it done,” he stated in the post.
Trump’s statement comes after the Washington Post revealed the US administration’s 21-point plan to end the war in Gaza.
Trump’s 21-point plan for peace
According to the Washington Post, the plan involves an immediate halt to fighting, the release of the remaining 20 living hostages and the bodies of 28 others held by Hamas within the first 48 hours of the deal, and the destruction of the group’s offensive weapons. It also includes political incentives, such as amnesty and safe passage abroad for Hamas members who agree to disarm, as well as a potential pathway toward Palestinian statehood once reforms are in place.
The US presented the plan to regional and allied governments during the United Nations General Assembly this past week. Neither Israel nor Hamas has accepted the proposal yet.
Hamas later claimed that it had not received a new proposal since Israel’s strikes on Qatar.
Hamas will receive information on Trump’s 21-point plan in the next 24 hours, sources familiar with the matter told Israeli public broadcaster KAN News on Sunday night.
“Hamas is ready to positively and responsibly consider any proposal that arrives from the mediators, provided that such a proposal protects the national rights of the Palestinians,” the terror group said in a statement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met with President Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, on Sunday to discuss Trump’s 21-point plan.
“Much of the discussion revolves around wording the plan,” a source familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post. “One of the challenges is how to state, on the one hand, that the Palestinian Authority will not be involved in governing Gaza – as Israel demands – while on the other hand, saying that it will be involved – as the Arab states are demanding.”
An Israeli official said the goal is to arrive at Monday’s meeting between Netanyahu and Trump at the White House with as few gaps as possible between Washington and Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, an Egyptian delegation is expected to travel to Qatar on Monday for meetings with senior Hamas officials. “After the Netanyahu–Trump meeting, the focus is expected to shift back to Hamas leaders in Doha,” another source familiar with the details explained. “Hamas has been shown several drafts of the president’s 21-point plan but has not yet seen the final document.”
On Sunday, an Israeli official told the Post that at this stage it is difficult to see Hamas agreeing to release all the hostages within the first week or to completely disarm.
In an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu confirmed that US administration officials and senior Israeli representatives are currently working on the 21-point agreement. “We hope to move the deal forward. Nothing is finalized yet,” Netanyahu said.
He also clarified that if Hamas leaders leave Gaza, release the hostages, and end the war, “Israel would allow them safe passage.”
The Trump administration is optimistic about the chances of success for the president’s proposal. Vice President JD Vance also expressed optimism, saying he “feels hopeful.”
Jordan’s King Abdullah said on Sunday that many details of Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza were “in line with what has been agreed upon,” the Jordanian state news agency reported.
He did not give further details on the plan itself or what it entailed.
As reported by The Jerusalem Post