Washington, September 29(HS) : US President Donald Trump is set to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday for high-stakes talks over a proposed peace plan aimed at ending the two-year-long Gaza war.The meeting, the duo’s fourth since Trump assumed office in January, follows the US leader’s unveiling of a sweeping 21-point proposal last week during discussions with regional heads in New York.
Declaring on social media that “all are on board for something special,” Trump hinted that Middle East peace could be within reach.While details of the framework remain closely guarded, reports suggest the draft calls for Hamas to release the 48 hostages it holds within 48 hours, in exchange for Israel halting its offensive and gradually withdrawing troops from Gaza.
In return, Israel would permit greater humanitarian aid into the enclave and free Palestinian prisoners, while Hamas would disarm and relinquish governance. A new transitional administration, coupled with moves to deradicalize institutions, was also sketched into the plan.
Israeli officials have withheld official confirmation, with one senior source dismissing some elements as “trial balloons.” Hamas, for its part, insists it has not yet seen the document.The talks come amid Israel’s ongoing military drive into Gaza City, where strikes and ground incursions have displaced some 700,000 residents from the city’s one million population.
Over 66,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict’s outbreak in October 2023, following Hamas’s unprecedented attack that left 1,200 Israelis dead and 250 kidnapped.
Israel has outlined five non-negotiable conditions for ending the conflict: Hamas’s complete disarmament, return of all hostages, Gaza’s demilitarization, Israeli control of security, and an administration unlinked to both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. These stipulations remain at odds with Hamas’s demands for a full withdrawal and political role.Global attention has sharpened on the humanitarian crisis, with UN-backed assessments declaring famine inside Gaza.
At last week’s UN General Assembly, 159 nations, including the UK, France and Canada, formally backed Palestinian statehood, a move strongly rejected by both Washington and Tel Aviv.
Trump, however, has ruled out allowing Israel to annex the West Bank, even as members of Netanyahu’s coalition push for it in response to Israel’s growing diplomatic isolation. Figures such as former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and Trump adviser Jared Kushner are reported to be involved in shaping the peace blueprint.
Whether the Netanyahu-Trump summit can bridge the gulf between Israel’s war aims and international calls for a ceasefire may well determine the trajectory of the region’s bloodiest conflict in decades.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
