US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan is emerging as a bold attempt to end the two-year-long Israel-Hamas war and perhaps redefine Washington’s role in Middle East diplomacy. The plan, unveiled last week, emphasises a “phased ceasefire-for-reconstruction” approach.
It combines humanitarian aid, hostage release, and regional security guarantees. Under the proposal, Hamas and Israel would commit to a multi-stage ceasefire, monitored by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, while international aid channels reopen for Gaza’s devastated population.
Trump’s administration calls it “the most practical roadmap toward permanent peace in decades.”
2 years of war: How Israeli’s commemorated?
As Hamas’ deadly October 7, 2023 attacks complete two years, Israelis commemorated it by gathering in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square. Mourners laid flowers and tributes to the victims, comforting one another at memorials across Israel. The October 7 attacks left around 1,200 people dead and 250 others taken hostage.
As a result, a war was triggered in Gaza, which is still ongoing and has claimed the lives of over 67,000 Palestinians.
Israel-Hamas war: Are both side finally moving toward an agreement?
Speaking from the Oval Office on Monday (October 6, 2025), President Trump expressed optimism on peace in Gaza, suggesting that Hamas has agreed to “very important things” during the indirect talks in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh, which have brought together delegations from Israel, Hamas, Egypt, Qatar, and the US.
“We have a really good chance of making a deal, and it’ll be a lasting deal,” Trump asserted, suggesting that the militant group’s position is softening under diplomatic and regional pressure.
Both sides reportedly accepted parts of Trump’s proposal, including a limited hostage release and expanded humanitarian access to Gaza, a significant step after months of failed ceasefire efforts.
What’s driving the negotiations in Egypt?
The Sharm El Sheikh talks are focused on the initial ceasefire stage, prisoner swaps, and a framework for post-conflict reconstruction. The United States and Egypt are co-mediating, with Qatar serving as a communication channel to Hamas’s Doha-based leadership.
Trump’s peace team, led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner, is working “as quickly as possible” to translate the progress into a formal document. “The administration is working very hard to move the ball forward,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Are there tensions between Trump and Netanyahu?
Despite visible progress, the negotiations have not been without friction. Reports from Axios suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Trump in an October 3 phone call that Hamas’s response “doesn’t mean anything.” Trump, however, allegedly pushed back, telling him, “I don’t know why you’re always so f**ing negative. This is a win — take it.”*
US President Trump has, however, denied any such exchange, saying Netanyahu had been “very positive” about the plan. Still, the moment reflects underlying tensions over Israel’s stance on ceasefire conditions and the political implications of dealing with Hamas.
Gaza peace plan: Who’s at the table and what’s at stake?
The Israeli delegation includes senior intelligence figures from Mossad and Shin Bet, as well as Netanyahu’s foreign policy adviser Ophir Falk and hostage coordinator Gal Hirsch. On the other side, Hamas’s team, led by senior official Khalil al-Hayya, arrived from Doha, only weeks after surviving an Israeli airstrike that killed his son.
Both sides are negotiating under intense global scrutiny. The stakes are enormous: ending a war that has killed tens of thousands, stabilizing the region, and testing whether Trump’s unconventional diplomacy can achieve what decades of peace efforts could not.
With cautious optimism in Washington and guarded silence in Tel Aviv, Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan may mark the most serious American attempt yet to broker an end to the Gaza conflict. As Trump put it: “They’ve been trying to have a deal with Gaza literally for centuries. Maybe this time, we actually get there.”
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israel PM Netanyahu held a phone call on Monday (October 6, 2025) and reportedly discussed Donald Trump’s Gaza plan as well as Iran’s nuclear programme. They also talked about stabilising Syria and ‘negotiated solution’ to Iran’s nuclear programme, according to RT News.