Hamas Seeks Changes to Trump Gaza Plan

President Donald Trump unveiled a 20-point Gaza peace plan at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling for an immediate ceasefire, Hamas disarmament, a phased Israeli withdrawal, and the release of hostages and many Palestinian detainees. The plan includes a pledged release of hostages within 72 hours, incentives such as prisoner exchanges and increased aid, and would bar Hamas from future governance while creating a transitional governing committee overseen by an international “Board of Peace” that Trump said would include Sir Tony Blair. Blair’s proposed role has provoked fierce debate in the UK, with some ministers defending his experience and others and MPs demanding scrutiny because of his Iraq-era legacy. Hamas has asked mediators for amendments, pressing to distinguish defensive from offensive weapons, rejecting international administration of Gaza, and demanding a clear, guaranteed timetable for Israeli withdrawal and protections against assassinations. Delegations from Turkey, Egypt and Qatar met Hamas negotiators in Doha, where Hamas said it needed “two or three days at most” to deliver an official response but remains internally divided between factions favoring unconditional acceptance for a ceasefire and those rejecting disarmament. Talks remain fragile and risky: last month an Israeli strike killed six people attending a meeting in Doha, underscoring security concerns even as several international leaders, including Australia’s government, have publicly supported the U.S. plan.