October 4th, 2025: Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan

This week in Israel and Gaza was, without a doubt, defined by the prospect of a ceasefire deal negotiated by President Trump. While the last near two years have been replete with failed proposals and negotiations, hope surrounds this current deal, having been seemingly accepted by both Israel and Hamas.

On Monday, Trump announced a 20-point plan that would serve as a roadmap for the end to the war. The plan consists of many conditions. Following acceptance from Israel and Hamas, Israeli forces would withdraw to an “agreed upon line” and all military operations would halt. Following Israel’s public acceptance of the deal, “all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned” by Hamas within a 72 hour window. The deal also stipulated the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life, along with 1,700 Gazans detained post-October 7th, including all women and children. The deal pointed to a “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee” as the interim Gazan government, which would be succeeded by a reformed Palestinian Authority. Hamas would have no role in governance and would need to disarm.

The deal was presented at a White House conference between Trump and Netanyahu. Trump applied significant pressure on Netanyahu during the meeting, facilitating a humiliating phone call between him and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Netanyahu apologized to the prime minister for the strike Israel had carried out on Doha, targeting Hamas officials in the midst of peace talks, weeks earlier. Trump’s pressure succeeded, and Netanyahu accepted the deal that day.

Five days followed Israel’s acceptance of the deal before Hamas’ response. During this period, Israel continued its destructive military campaign in Gaza City, carrying out daily strikes killing dozens of Gazans. Hamas did not release any Israeli hostages as per the deal’s instruction.

However, on Friday, Hamas released a statement accepting some parts of Trump’s twenty points and leaving others unaddressed. Hamas agreed to release all of the Israeli hostages in accordance with Trump’s plan. Additionally, Hamas expressed support for a Palestinian body of technocrats to take power in Gaza following the end to the war. But Hamas did not address one of Trump’s most significant demands — disarmament — casting doubt on the actual success of the deal.

Nevertheless, Trump welcomed Hamas’ response, posting on Truth Social, “I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE.” Leading up to the statement, Trump had been intensifying his pressure on Hamas, giving ultimatums and promising “all hell” if the group failed to accept the deal. But following Hamas’ somewhat ambiguous agreement, Trump quickly shifted the pressure back onto Netanyahu, calling on Israel to “immediately stop the bombing of Gaza.” Clearly, Trump wants this deal to come to fruition.

Although some uncertainty surrounds the ongoing situation, hopes are high for an end to the war — something that could not be said for the entirety of the past few months. This week seems like it will end tomorrow on a cautiously optimistic note.