Trump unveils 20-point Gaza peace plan, to lead global board for the strip’s rebuild

President Donald J. Trump on Monday, 29 September, laid out a sweeping 20-point blueprint to halt the Gaza war, proposing a staged cease-fire, hostage-prisoner exchanges, international oversight, and a multibillion-dollar redevelopment program to transform the enclave into a “terror-free zone” committed to coexistence.

With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his side Trump presented what he called a “comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict,” a detailed 20-point proposal that ties immediate humanitarian relief and reconstruction to demilitarisation, international monitoring, and a political framework for Palestinian statehood.

In an ambitious, yet controversial, move Trump declared he would personally chair a new Board of Peace designed to oversee Gaza’s transition. He envisions Gaza administered not by Hamas or the Palestinian Authority but by a technocratic committee of Palestinians and international experts, supervised by the Board of Peace headed by Trump, with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair among expected members.

“This is not routine,” Trump said. “We have to make sure this works … The leaders of the Arab world and Israel asked me to do this. So it will be headed by a gentleman known as President Donald J. Trump of the United States”.

At a joint press conference in Washington, Trump outlined his “comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict”, pledging immediate ceasefire terms and staged Israeli withdrawals. “This is potentially one of the great days ever in civilization,” Trump said. “We are beyond very close…we are talking about eternal peace in the Middle East.”

Unable to stop admiring himself Trump said, “No president in history has been a greater friend of Israel than I have.”

Endorsing the plan, Netanyahu thanked Trump for what he called his unmatched support for Israel. “You are the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House,” the Israeli leader said. “Today, we are taking a critical step toward ending the war in Gaza and advancing peace in the Middle East.

Trilateral mechanism

A quieter announcement tucked into the ceremony caught everyone unawares. Israel and Qatar, two nations long at odds, had agreed—with Washington’s hand on the scale—to form a trilateral mechanism aimed at repairing ties and coordinating security.

The announcement came hours after a call between Trump, Netanyahu, and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Netanyahu used the occasion to apologize for an Israeli strike that killed a Qatari serviceman, promising such incidents would not happen again. Al Thani accepted the apology and pledged to work toward regional stability.

Terror-free zone

The 20-point plan’s opening demand is apparent: “Gaza will be a deradicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours.” Trump said the initiative, if accepted by both sides, would bring the war to an immediate halt, with Israeli forces withdrawing to agreed lines in preparation for a hostage release.

Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting the agreement, “all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned,” according to the proposal. In exchange, Israel would release 250 prisoners serving life sentences, along with 1,700 Gazans detained after the 7 October 2023, attacks. The plan also provides for a one-to-15 exchange of remains—one Israeli hostage for 15 deceased Gazans.

The framework extends amnesty to Hamas members who renounce violence and disarm. Those wishing to leave Gaza would be granted safe passage “to receiving countries.”  The aim, the document states, is to clear the ground for “New Gaza”—a political entity free of militant control and open to economic development.

“Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza,” the document emphasises. Instead, Israeli troops would hand over territory progressively to the stabilisation force, with final withdrawal tied to milestones in demilitarisation. A “security perimeter presence” would remain until Gaza was judged secure from any renewed terror threat.

On the humanitarian front, Trump pledged that “full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip.” This would include rehabilitation of water, electricity, sewage, hospitals, bakeries and road clearance equipment. Aid distribution would be managed by the United Nations, the Red Crescent, and other international organisations “not associated in any manner with either party”.

Critics noted the unusual move of a sitting US president chairing an international governance structure. But Trump framed that his heading the Board of Peace was a natural extension of his role. Recalling his business background, he said: “As a real estate person, I said, who would give up the ocean? They gave it away. It didn’t work. Now we build something new”.

Highlighting the economic potential Trump said, “New Gaza will be fully committed to building a prosperous economy and to peaceful coexistence with neighbours”.

The US, he said, would also help organise an International Stabilisation Force, training Palestinian police and securing borders with Egypt and Israel. Trump said Arab and Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar, had committed to enforcing Hamas’s disarmament and funding Gaza’s reconstruction.

Beyond military and economic measures, the plan gestures at reconciliation. It calls for an “interfaith dialogue process” promoting tolerance and coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. It also gestures toward a broader political horizon. Once redevelopment advances and Palestinian Authority reforms are completed, “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”

Palestinian statehood, often a sticking point, was left ambiguous. Trump said his plan might eventually create “conditions … for a credible pathway,” while Netanyahu flatly opposed recognising a Palestinian state, citing October 7. “That would reward terror, undermine security, and endanger Israel’s existence,” he said.

For Gaza residents, the promise is tangible: a suspension of bombing, the return of prisoners, and immediate humanitarian aid — including water, electricity, hospitals, bakeries, and rubble clearance. No one will be forced to leave Gaza … We will encourage people to stay and build a better Gaza,” Trump said.

Whether Hamas agrees remains uncertain. “This can be done the easy way or the hard way,” Netanyahu warned. “But it will be done.”

Trump positioned Washington as the convener of final-status talks. “The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence,” the plan concludes.

(Courtesy: 5wh.com)