Muslim nations welcome Hamas steps on Gaza peace plan

Muslim countries, backing the Gaza peace proposal, have welcomed steps taken by Hamas in response to US President Donald Trump’s plan. They have called the move a genuine opportunity to secure a ceasefire and end the crisis in the region, the Foreign Office said.

The statement came as Hamas, the Palestinian group that controls Gaza, on Friday accepted certain key points of US president’s plan — including ending the war, Israel’s withdrawal, and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian captives.

According to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office, Israel is preparing for the ‘immediate implementation’ of the first stage of Trump’s Gaza plan, following Hamas’s response, to secure the release of Israeli hostages.

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Shortly afterwards, Israeli media reported that the country’s political leadership had instructed the military to reduce offensive activity in Gaza.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt expressed support for Hamas’s willingness to release hostages, both alive and deceased, and to open negotiations on mechanisms for implementing the US plan.

“The foreign ministers welcomed the steps taken by Hamas regarding US President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the war on Gaza, release all hostages, alive or deceased, and the immediate launch of negotiations on implementation mechanisms,” the statement said.

The ministers also endorsed President Trump’s call on Israel to halt its military campaign. “The foreign ministers also welcomed President Trump’s call on Israel to immediately stop the bombing and begin implementation of the exchange agreement and they expressed appreciation for his commitment to establishing peace in the region,” it added.

“These developments represent a real opportunity to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire, and to address the critical humanitarian conditions, the people in Gaza Strip are facing,” the ministers stressed.

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The foreign ministers also welcomed the announcement by Hamas of their readiness to hand over the administrative control of Gaza to a transitional Palestinian Administrative Committee of independent technocrats.

They emphasised the need for the immediate launch of negotiations to agree on mechanisms to implement the proposal, and address all of its aspects.

The Foreign Ministers reiterated their joint commitment to support efforts towards the implementation of the proposal, to work for the immediate end of the war on Gaza, and achieve a comprehensive agreement that ensures unrestricted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, no displacement of the Palestinian people, and that no measures are taken that threaten the security and safety of civilians.

They added that the agreement must also secure the release of hostages, ensure the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza, unify Gaza and the West Bank, and establish a security framework that guarantees the security of all sides, in a manner that leads to the full Israeli withdrawal, and to the rebuilding of Gaza, and that creates a path for a just peace on the basis of the two-state solution.

Gaza war and Trump peace plan

 Israel invaded Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas-led attack on southern Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken as hostages to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Most of Gaza's 2.3 million population was internally displaced as Israel pressed a military assault that killed over 64,000 Palestinians and ravaged much of the enclave.

In February this year, Trump pitched his Gaza idea to take over the Gaza Strip, telling a business roundtable in Qatar that the U.S. would "make it a freedom zone" and argued there was nothing left to save in the Palestinian territory.

He had previously said he wanted to turn Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East," suggesting the U.S. would redevelop it and force Palestinians to go elsewhere.

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Palestinians vehemently rejected any plan involving them leaving Gaza, comparing such ideas to the 1948 "Nakba," or "catastrophe," when hundreds of thousands were dispossessed of their homes in the war that led to the creation of Israel. Many said they would rather live in the ruins of their homes.

The plan also drew global condemnation, with Palestinians, Arab nations and the UN saying it would amount to ethnic cleansing.

Since then, deliberations had continued but failed to yield any results beyond statements of condemnation. However, the UN General Assembly meeting finally proved productive, as President Trump met with top Muslim leaders on the sidelines to jointly explore a solution and work toward ending the war.

On Monday, President Trump published a 20-point peace proposal for Gaza that would end the war between Israel and Hamas and required the return of all hostages, living and dead, within 72 hours of a ceasefire.

The plan, which referred to a redeveloped Gaza as "New Gaza," resulted from intense negotiations in recent weeks between Trump and his team, and Israeli and Arab leaders.

According to the plan, if both sides agreed to the proposal, the war would end immediately. Israeli forces would withdraw partially to prepare for a hostage release. All military operations would be suspended and battle lines would be frozen in place until conditions were met for the "complete staged withdrawal" of Israeli forces.

It said within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting the proposal, all hostages, alive and dead, would be returned. Once all hostages were released, Israel would free 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences plus 1,700 Gazans arrested after the start of the conflict on October 7, 2023. For every Israeli hostage whose remains were released, Israel would release the remains of 15 dead Gazans.

Once all hostages were freed, members of Hamas "who commit to peaceful coexistence" and gave up arms would be granted amnesty. Members of Hamas who wished to leave Gaza would be provided with safe passage to receiving countries.

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It said upon acceptance of this agreement, full aid would be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip, with quantities consistent with the levels mandated under a January 19, 2025, accord. Aid deliveries would proceed without interference from Israel or Hamas through the United Nations and related agencies.

The 20-point plan also added that a "deradicalized" Gaza would not pose a threat to its neighbors and would be "redeveloped" for the benefit of Gazans.

The Trump plan envisioned a "Board of Peace" of international overseers led by Trump himself and including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in an undefined role. Gaza would be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a "technocratic, apolitical" committee made up of Palestinians and international experts, to be overseen by the Board of Peace. This group would set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until the Palestinian Authority had undergone major reforms.

A Trump economic development plan to rebuild Gaza would be created by convening a panel of experts "who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East." A special economic zone would be established with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries.

It said that under the plan, no one would be forced to leave Gaza, which had sustained heavy damage during the war, and those who wished to leave would be free to do so and free to return. "We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza," the plan said.

The plan also said that Hamas and other factions would agree to have no role whatsoever in governing Gaza, directly or indirectly. All military infrastructure, including tunnels and weapons production facilities, would be destroyed. Independent monitors would supervise the demilitarization of Gaza.

According to the plan, "New Gaza would be fully committed to building a prosperous economy and to peaceful coexistence with their neighbors".

It also added that regional partners would work to ensure that Hamas and related factions complied with their obligations and that New Gaza posed no threat.

The Trump plan said that the United States would work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force to immediately deploy in Gaza.

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It said Israel would not occupy or annex Gaza. The Israeli Defense Forces would progressively hand over the Gaza territory it occupied to the International Stabilization Force.

The 20-point plan said that the plan was vague on a pathway to Palestinian statehood. It said that while Gaza redevelopment advanced and when the Palestinian Authority was reformed, "the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people."

Finally, the plan also proposed a dialogue process, saying the United States would establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a "political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence."