WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was bullish on Monday night shortly after leaving the White Home, the place he accepted US President Donald Trump’s plan for ending the conflict in Gaza.
“Now the entire world, together with the Arab and Muslim world, is pressuring Hamas to simply accept the phrases that we created along with Trump, to carry again all of the hostages — the dwelling and the lifeless — whereas the IDF stays within the majority of the Strip,” Netanyahu mentioned in a video he posted to social media.
“Who would have believed it?!” Netanyahu exclaimed in Hebrew as he basked within the phrases of Trump’s plan.
Netanyahu was naturally attempting to border the journey positively to his base again house amid headlines from earlier within the day specializing in his apology to Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani for Israel’s strike focusing on Hamas leaders in Doha.
However the premier did, in reality, have quite a bit to rejoice, as he managed to safe important Eleventh-hour adjustments to the proposal relating to the scope and nature of the IDF’s withdrawal from Gaza, together with the disarmament of Hamas.
The 2 points are arguably probably the most delicate of the complete negotiations.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and US President Donald Trump maintain a gathering within the White Home, Washington, DC, September 29, 2025. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)
Hamas’s central demand from the start of the conflict has been for Israel to utterly withdraw from Gaza in alternate for the hostages.
And whereas it has expressed willingness to surrender governing management of Gaza, the give up of its weapons has been a purple line, because it acknowledges that they’re important for the group to take care of a level of affect within the Strip.
Benchmarks for withdrawal
The US sought to deal with each of those points, however did so considerably vaguely within the model of its Gaza peace proposal that it offered to Arab and Muslim companions final week.
Level 3 of what was then a 21-point plan obtained by The Instances of Israel said that “Israeli forces will withdraw to the battle strains as of when the [US special envoy Steve] Witkoff proposal was offered to organize for hostage launch.”
It didn’t specify which Witkoff proposal, despite the fact that there have been a number of. However the up to date model printed on Monday by the White Home said that “Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed-upon line.”
US particular envoy to the Center East Steve Witkoff, proper, and Jared Kushner arrive earlier than President Donald Trump holds a information convention with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu within the State Eating Room of the White Home, Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Picture/Alex Brandon)
This too wasn’t elaborated, but it surely appeared to discuss with a brand new map that was included within the up to date model that illustrated three phases of Israeli withdrawals from Gaza.
As Netanyahu mentions in his video, the map exhibits that Israeli troops will have the ability to stay within the majority of the Gaza Strip even after the primary pullback of IDF troops in preparation for all the hostages to be launched.
They may then have the ability to stay in these positions till the Worldwide Stabilization Drive (ISF) of Arab and Muslim nations is ready to deploy and totally function to disarm Hamas, the plan states.
Even after the second part of the withdrawal, the IDF will stay in over a 3rd of the Strip, the map signifies.
The third withdrawal will clear the ultimate troops out of Gaza, however the map exhibits {that a} safety buffer zone will probably be established alongside the perimeter of the complete Strip, one other Israeli demand aimed toward mitigating the specter of one other October 7-like invasion.
Level 16 of the unique US plan merely said that the IDF “will progressively hand over the Gaza territory that [it] occup[ies].”
A map of a proposed withdrawal of IDF troops as a part of a deal to finish the conflict in Gaza, printed on September 29, 2025. (White Home)
However the up to date model provides two strains that additional qualify the character of the withdrawal in Israel’s favor, stating that IDF “will withdraw based mostly on requirements, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization that will probably be agreed upon between the IDF, ISF, the guarantors, and the US.
“Virtually, the IDF will progressively hand over the Gaza territory it occupies to the ISF in keeping with an settlement they are going to make with the transitional authority till they’re withdrawn utterly from Gaza, save for a safety perimeter presence that can stay till Gaza is correctly safe from any resurgent terror risk,” the up to date plan provides.
Disarmament phrases
On the difficulty of disarmament, too, Netanyahu managed to safe noteworthy adjustments following a pair of hours-long conferences with US particular envoy Steve Witkoff and prime adviser Jared Kushner at his lodge in New York on Thursday and Sunday.
Whereas final week’s model grants amnesty to “Hamas members who decide to peaceable coexistence,” the plan printed Monday provides that these members additionally should “decommission their weapons.”
Level 13 of the plan initially said, “There will probably be full dedication to destroy and cease constructing any offensive navy.”
US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu depart on the conclusion of a joint press convention within the State Eating Room of the White Home in Washington, DC, on September 29, 2025. (Jim WATSON / AFP)
However the up to date model went into a lot larger element on the difficulty, stating that “all navy, terror, and offensive infrastructure, together with tunnels and weapon manufacturing amenities, will probably be destroyed and never rebuilt.”
“There will probably be a means of demilitarization of Gaza beneath the supervision of impartial displays, which can embrace putting weapons completely past use by an agreed means of decommissioning, and supported by an internationally funded buy-back and reintegration program, all verified by the impartial displays,” the Monday-publicized plan states.
Arab mediator much less bullish than Netanyahu
A diplomat from one of many mediating nations mirrored that whereas Arab and Muslim leaders received necessary face time with Trump final week throughout a multilateral assembly on the UN Normal Meeting sidelines, Netanyahu managed to safe “the final phrase,” convincing Washington to make further adjustments to the plan at a degree within the course of when it was a lot tougher for them to intervene.
Talking to Trump final additionally allowed Netanyahu to safe one thing of a concession from the US president when the latter made a degree of acknowledging the Israeli premier’s “perceive[able] opposition to a Palestinian state” — considerably deflating the proposal envisioning a pathway to a Palestinian statehood, even when that pathway was removed from definitive.
Palestinians look by rubble following an Israeli airstrike on a home within the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza Metropolis, September 26, 2025. (Fathi Ibrahim/FLASH90)
The Arab diplomat mentioned it is going to be tough for Hamas and Qatar to persuade Hamas to simply accept the US proposal as is, provided that it could drive the fear group to surrender all of its leverage by releasing all remaining hostages within the first 72 hours of the deal, whereas initially solely securing a really partial withdrawal of Israeli troops.
The diplomat mentioned it’ll doubtless take at the least a number of days for Hamas to reply at which level it’ll doubtless have amendments of its personal that it’ll attempt to submit like Netanyahu did, although, Witkoff up to now has demanded that Hamas settle for his proposals as is.
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