Crystal Dike
Middle Eastern capitals erupted in cautious approval on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a sweeping Gaza peace plan, hailed by Arab leaders as a potential breakthrough while leaving Hamas cornered between compromise and escalation.
From Riyadh to Cairo, Doha to Amman, foreign ministers issued a joint communiqué praising Trump’s “leadership” and urging all parties to embrace the ceasefire blueprint. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, the UAE, Indonesia, and Pakistan declared the plan a “serious path toward ending Gaza’s agony” and urged Hamas to act.
At the White House, Trump rolled out the 20-point document alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding Hamas release 20 Israeli hostages and dozens of bodies within 72 hours in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees. While the proposal envisions a technocratic Palestinian authority under international supervision, Netanyahu warned that Israel would “finish the job” if Hamas refused.
The Gaza peace plan immediately exposed fault lines. Netanyahu, even as he praised the U.S. initiative, doubled down in a separate video address that Israel would never accept a Palestinian state and insisted the IDF would remain in Gaza indefinitely. The Palestinian Authority cautiously endorsed Trump’s effort as “sincere and determined,” while Hamas told the BBC: “The weapons of the resistance are a red line.”
But the stakes reach far beyond political rhetoric. Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 Israelis and abducted 251 others, Israel’s offensive has left more than 66,000 people dead in Gaza, according to Hamas authorities. A UN-backed report has confirmed famine conditions, while a UN commission has accused Israel of genocide — charges Israel flatly rejects.
For Arab leaders, however, the calculus is stark. A truce could open the door to reconstruction and international aid; rejection could ignite a wider regional firestorm. “This is the hour of decision,” one Gulf diplomat said.
Now, as Netanyahu warns of “war without limits” and Trump promises to back Israel to the hilt, the fate of the Gaza peace plan hangs in the balance — a lifeline or a trigger for yet another cycle of bloodshed.