The Fate Of Hamas And Postwar Gaza, As Per The Trump-Netanyahu Peace Plan

Cairo: Hamas would have no part in administering Gaza, and all its military infrastructure — including tunnels — would be dismantled. Members who pledge to live peacefully would be granted amnesty, and those who wish to leave Gaza would be allowed to.

The international security force would ensure Hamas’ disarmament and keep order. It would also train Palestinian police to take over law enforcement. Mediator Egypt has said it is training thousands of Palestinian police to deploy to Gaza.

Meanwhile, humanitarian aid would be allowed to flow into Gaza in large amounts and would be run by “neutral international bodies,” including the U.N. and the Red Crescent. It is unclear whether the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, a controversial alternative food distribution system backed by Israel and the U.S., would continue to operate.

The plan also specifies that Palestinians will not be expelled from Gaza, and that there will be an international effort to rebuild the territory for Palestinians.

In normal cases, that might not need spelling out. But Palestinians have feared mass expulsion after both Trump and the Israeli government spoke of pushing out Gaza’s population – ostensibly in a “voluntary” manner – and rebuilding the strip as a sort of international real estate venture.

ALSO READ: ‘Long Term, Sustainable Peace’: PM Modi Welcomes Donald Trump's Plan To End Israel-Gaza Conflict

The interim administration of Palestinian technocrats would run day-to-day affairs in Gaza. But it would be overseen by the “Board of Peace.” The board would also supervise funding of reconstruction, a role that could give it enormous power over governing Gaza since that is the biggest task facing the territory, almost completely destroyed by Israel’s campaign.

The Palestinian Authority and statehood

During this interim administration, the Palestinian Authority would undergo reforms so it can eventually take over governing Gaza.

The plan has only a slight nod to the issue of statehood. It says that if the Palestinian Authority reforms sufficiently and Gaza redevelopment advances, “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”

The response so far

Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence chief shared the 20-point plan Monday evening with Hamas negotiators. The Hamas negotiators said they would review it in good faith and provide a response.

Hamas has so far rejected disarmament, saying it has a right to resist until Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands ends.

Arab countries appear to back the outline. The governments of Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates issued a joint statement applauding Trump’s proposal.

Netanyahu could face resistance from within his own ultra-nationalist coalition allies.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is part of Netanyahu’s security cabinet, published a list of his “red lines” on X on Monday. Top among them, he wrote, any deal ,must not allow involvement of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza or allow a Palestinian state. Smotrich is one of the more vocal members of the right-wing bloc of Netanyahu’s coalition who have previously threatened to leave the government if Netanyahu halts the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu may see a loophole. The proposal makes PA involvement in Gaza conditional on it completing internal reforms, which it pledged to do, saying it welcomed Trump’s plan to end the war.

But in his comments alongside Trump on Monday, Netanyahu expressed his belief it will never successfully do so.