• White House releases US president-pushed 20-point peace plan.
• Plan calls for truce, swap of hostages with Palestinian prisoners.
• Israel has launched one of its biggest ground offensives this month.

WASHINGTON/CAIRO/JERUSALEM: President Donald Trump has said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to a US-backed peace plan for Gaza, even as Israeli forces press one of their fiercest offensives in the battered Palestinian enclave. 

The proposal calls for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, but its success still hinges on whether Hamas will come on board.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Netanyahu, Trump said they were “beyond very close” to forging an elusive peace deal and that he hoped Hamas would also accept it.

The White House released Trump’s 20-point plan that calls for a ceasefire, a swap of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave, Hamas disarmament and a transitional government led by an international body.

“I also want to thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for agreeing to the plan and for trusting that if we work together, we can bring an end to the death and destruction that we’ve seen for so many years, decades, even centuries and begin a new chapter of security, peace and prosperity for the entire region,” Trump said.

In Netanyahu’s fourth visit to the White House since Trump returned to office in January, the right-wing Israeli leader was looking to shore up his country’s most important relationship after a slew of Western leaders formally embraced Palestinian statehood last week in defiance of the US and Israel.

Trump, who sharply criticised the recognition moves as a prize for Hamas, was seeking Netanyahu’s agreement despite Israel’s misgivings on parts of the plan.

It marked a stepped-up diplomatic effort from the US president, who vowed during the 2024 presidential campaign to bring the conflict to a close quickly and has since repeatedly claimed that a peace deal was near, only for it to fail to materialise.

Hamas’ apparent absence from the negotiations has raised questions about the prospects for the latest initiative.

Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official told AFP on Monday that the group had not yet received Trump’s Gaza peace plan.

“We have not received Trump’s proposal. We will study it and respond once we receive it,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the matter publicly.

Tanks head deeper into Gaza city

Washington presented its peace plan to Arab and Muslim states on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last week, and Trump’s main objective on Monday was to try to close the remaining gaps with Netanyahu.

The White House talks came as Israeli tanks on Monday thrust deeper into the heart of Gaza City. Israel has launched one of its biggest offensives of the war this month, with Netanyahu saying he aims to wipe out Hamas in its final redoubts. The war has left much of Gaza in ruins and caused a major humanitarian crisis.

Arriving by limousine, Netanyahu was greeted by Trump outside the White House doors with a handshake, a stark contrast to the Israeli Prime Minister’s chilly reception when he spoke on Friday before the UN General Assembly, where scores of delegates walked out in protest.

Previous US-backed ceasefire efforts have fallen apart due to a failure to bridge the gap between Israel and Hamas, and Netanyahu has vowed to continue fighting until Hamas is completely dismantled.

Addressing a press conference, Trump said this was a “big, big day”.

“Things that have been going on for hundreds of years, thousands of years … at minimum, we are very, very close and beyond very close,” Trump said, thanking Netanyahu for his role in the peace process. “We worked well together, and have with many other countries, which is how this situation gets solved.”

Trump said that he was aiming for peace in the Middle East at large, not just the Gaza Strip. He added that he and Netanyahu discussed issues like Iran, the Abraham Accords and ending the Gaza conflict.

“This is part of the bigger picture, which is peace in the Middle East … let’s call it ‘eternal’ peace in the Middle East,” he said.

“After extensive consultation with our friends and partners throughout the region, I am formally releasing our principles for peace,” Trump announced, adding that people “have really liked” them.

“These are done with total consideration and working with the nations we are talking about,” he added. “I want to thank the leaders of many Arab and Muslim nations for their tremendous support in developing the proposal, as well as our allies in Europe.

“The prime minister and the field marshal of Pakistan they were with us right from the beginning. In fact they just put out a statement that they fully believe in this pact,” Trump stated. “They back this 100 per cent.”

The US president also thanked Netanyahu for agreeing to the plan and for “trusting that if we work together, we can bring an end to the death and destruction” in the region.

“If accepted by Hamas, this proposal calls for the release of all remaining hostages immediately, but in no case, more than 72 hours,” Trump said. “The hostages are coming back.”

Trump said this means “an immediate end to the war itself”.

“Under the plan, Arab and Muslim countries have committed … to demilitarise Gaza quickly, decommission the military capabilities of Hamas and all other terror organisations and we are relying on the countries we named and others to deal with Hamas and I’m hearing Hamas wants to get this done too.”

Trump added that as part of the agreement, “terror infrastructure”, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, would be dismantled and local police forces would be trained in the Gaza Strip.

“Working with the new transitional authority in Gaza, all parties will agree on a timeline for Israeli forces to withdraw in phases … no more shooting hopefully,” Trump stated.

“Arab and Muslim nations need to be allowed a chance of fulfilling these commitments of dealing with Hamas. They are the one group I have not dealt with,” he added. “If Hamas rejects the deal, which is always possible … I have a feeling that we’re going to have a positive answer, but if not, as you know Bibi (Netanyahu) you have my full backing to do what you have to do.

The US president emphasised that ultimately, the goal is to eliminate any danger in the reason, which he attributed to Hamas.

“To ensure the success of this effort, my plan calls for the creation of a new international oversight body,” he said, calling it the ‘Board of Peace’ and stating that it would be led by Arab leaders, Israel and Trump himself.

“We’re going to do it right, we’re going to put leaders from other countries on and leaders who are very distinguished,” Trump said. “One of the people who wants to be on the Board is the UK former prime minister Tony Blair.”

Trump said there would be more leaders and that their names would be announced in the coming days.

He added that the World Bank would be charged with training and recruiting a new government made up of Palestinians and “highly qualified experts from around the world”.

“Hamas and other terror organisations will play no role in the governance of Gaza, at all,” he stated.

Earlier, Netanyahu expressed regret for an Israeli attack in Doha to Qatar’s leader in a three-way call with Trump, the White House said.

It added that Netanyahu also expressed regret for Israel violating Qatari sovereignty and “affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future“.

“The leaders discussed a proposal for ending the war in Gaza, prospects for a more secure Middle East, and the need for greater understanding between their countries,” the White House said before a news conference with Trump and the Israeli prime minister.

Ahead of formal consultations, Trump had told his guests: “We have to get the hostages back … This is the group that can do it, more than any other group in the world … so it’s an honour to be with you.”

Trump had also emphasised the urgency of ending the conflict: “We had 32 meetings here, this is the one that’s very important because we’re gonna end something that should’ve probably never started.”

According to reports from Israel’s Channel 12 and US-based Axios, President Trump’s plan envisions an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages, both alive and deceased; phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Governance excluding Hamas but incorporating the Palestinian Authority; deployment of Arab and Muslim peacekeepers to secure Gaza and facilitate Israel’s withdrawal; and internationally supported reconstruction and transition programmes funded by regional contributors.

These details were reportedly shared with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though Israel did not draft the plan.

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a TV interview that Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas are “very close” to reaching an agreement on a framework deal to end Israel’s bombardment in Gaza and ensure lasting peace in the Middle East.

Leavitt, speaking on Fox News’ ‘Fox and Friends’ programme, said Trump would discuss a 21-point peace plan with Netanyahu at the White House later today.

“Trump will speak to leaders in Qatar, who have served as intermediaries with Hamas,” she said.

“To reach a reasonable deal for both sides, both sides have to give up a little bit and might leave the table a little bit unhappy, but that is ultimately how we are going to end this conflict,” Leavitt added.

PM Shehbaz welcomes Gaza plan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed US President Donald Trump’s plan to bring the Israeli invasion of Gaza to an end.

His statement came in a post on X as the US president greeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House for talks on the US-led peace plan. Before the meeting, Trump had told reporters he was “very confident” that there would be peace in Gaza.

Asked if all parties were on board with his 21-point plan, he repeated, “very confident”.

Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz posted on X: “I welcome President Trump’s 20-point [sic] plan to ensure an end to the war in Gaza.

“I am also convinced that durable peace between the Palestinian people and Israel would be essential in bringing political stability and economic growth to the region,” the PM wrote.

He added, “It is also my firm belief that President Trump is fully prepared to assist in whatever way necessary to make this extremely important and urgent understanding to become a reality.”

PM Shehbaz also lauded “Trump’s leadership and [his] special envoy Steve Witkoff for their efforts in bringing an end to the nearly two-year-long conflict”.

“I also strongly believe that the implementation of the two-state proposal is essential to ensure lasting peace in the region,” he added.

Earlier in the day, he also spoke to Pakistani journalists in London, where he spoke about Trump’s meeting with Muslims leaders on Gaza in New York last week.

The meeting on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly had brought together leaders from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Turkiye, and Indonesia.

During his interaction with journalists in London today, PM Shehbaz “a very constructive discussion took place” at the meeting. He added, “As a result of that meeting, very soon, a positive result may come that in the Gaza war, there may be a ceasefire.”

In less than two years, Israel’s onslaught on Gaza has killed at least 65,549 people and wounded 167,518, besides displacing millions from their areas. Earlier this month, UN investigators said that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza in a bid to “destroy the Palestinians”, accusing Israel’s prime minister and other top officials of incitement.

A huge communications blackout hit Afghanistan on Monday, weeks after Taliban authorities began severing fibre optic connections in multiple provinces to prevent “vice”.

“A nationwide telecoms blackout is now in effect,” said Netblocks, a watchdog organisation that monitors cybersecurity and internet governance.

“We’re now observing national connectivity at 14 percent of ordinary levels.”

 The watchdog said the incident “appears consistent with the intentional disconnection of service”.

AFP lost contact with its bureau in the capital Kabul around 6:15pm (6:45 pm PKT), including mobile phone service.

Afhanistan’s Taliban authorities began a crackdown on internet access earlier this month, severing connections in multiple provinces.

The move, ordered by Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, effectively shut down high-speed internet in several regions.

Fibre optic internet was completely banned in northern Balkh province on the leader’s orders, provincial spokesman Attaullah Zaid said on September 16.

“This measure was taken to prevent vice, and alternative options will be put in place across the country to meet connectivity needs,” he wrote on social media.

At the time, AFP correspondents reported the same restrictions in the northern provinces of Badakhshan and Takhar, as well as in Kandahar, Helmand, Nangarhar and Uruzgan in the south.

Over the past several weeks, internet connections have been extremely slow or intermitant.

In 2024, Kabul had touted the 9,350-kilometre fibre optic network — largely built by former US-backed governments — as a “priority” to bring the country closer to the rest of the world and lift it out of poverty.

Since regaining power in 2021, the Taliban have instituted numerous restrictions in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law.