Washington / Gaza — A copy of U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20‑point peace plan for Gaza has been delivered to Hamas leaders and is now under formal review, U.S. and regional officials say. The move has intensified diplomatic pressure on the Palestinian group to accept terms that would require disarmament and removal from power.
Speaking at a White House news conference, . Trump said Hamas has “three or four days” to accept the proposal and warned that refusal would lead to “a very sad end.” He framed the plan as a pathway to end the nearly two‑year Gaza war and said several Arab governments have expressed support for the initiative.
The U.S.‑backed proposal — reportedly handed to Hamas through mediators in Doha and Cairo — calls for an immediate, conditional ceasefire tied to the rapid release of hostages, staged Israeli withdrawals, and the demilitarization of Gaza. Under the plan’s prisoner‑exchange framework, Israel would free 250 inmates serving life sentences plus 1,700 detainees arrested after October 7, 2023, in return for living hostages; it also sets a one‑to‑many ratio for the return of remains.
Hamas has historically rejected demands to disarm before securing political guarantees, and sources close to the group described key elements of the plan as biased in Israel’s favour and “impossible” to accept. Before the plan was publicly unveiled, Hamas reiterated it would not surrender arms before a settlement that guarantees Palestinian political rights and statehood.
Palestinian Authority officials and other critics argue the proposal appears oriented toward Israeli security interests and lacks a clear roadmap to an independent Palestinian state. Nonetheless, regional mediators — notably Qatar and Egypt, who have played broker roles — say they have delivered the text to Hamas and are pressing for a prompt response.
The diplomatic developments come as Israeli military operations in and around Gaza City continue. Health authorities and medics reported that ground and air operations this week killed 31 people in a fresh wave of strikes; Gaza’s health ministry says the overall death toll from the conflict has now surpassed 66,000. Humanitarian agencies warn that civilian suffering, displacement and shortages of food and medical supplies are worsening as talks proceed.
Mediators will now await Hamas’s formal reply in the coming days as international actors assess whether guarantees on governance, security and humanitarian access can be negotiated to make the plan acceptable to all parties.
