By SCM Staff Writer I Sunday, October 05, 2025
WASHINGTON — President Donald J. Trump offered a characteristically assertive update on the prospective Gaza peace agreement on Sunday, stating that negotiations were “ongoing” and would “take place very soon,” even as he signaled little willingness to budge on the core terms of the proposal now facing a critical deadline.
Speaking from the White House, the President emphasized the high stakes of the 20-point plan, referring to it as the “#Gaza Plan for Middle East Peace” and declaring its importance for “Israel, the Arab world and the world.”
The statement comes as US envoys are in the region, seeking to finalize a deal with Hamas and Israel that aims to secure the release of all remaining Israeli hostages, establish a ceasefire, and lay the groundwork for a post-Hamas governance structure in the Gaza Strip. The administration has set a deadline for Hamas to accept the terms, a measure the President has consistently framed as an ultimatum.
Crucially, Mr. Trump defended the plan’s rigidity despite the delicate state of the negotiations. “We don’t have much flexibility on the #Gaza agreement plan because almost everyone agrees on it,” the President said.
The administration’s proposal, unveiled alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late last week, is comprehensive and controversial.
It calls for an immediate ceasefire, the return of all hostages, a massive prisoner swap, and the demilitarization and “de-radicalization” of Gaza. Its governance framework is particularly contentious, calling for a “Board of Peace” to supervise a temporary Palestinian technocratic committee, a board the President has volunteered to chair.
While Hamas has indicated a willingness to accept key humanitarian components, including the release of hostages and an Israeli withdrawal, the group has been resistant to central tenets of the deal, namely the requirement to disarm and relinquish political control of the enclave.
Despite the firm stance on the plan’s provisions, Mr. Trump left a slight opening, acknowledging that “Some changes could occur in the #Gaza plan.”
This ambiguous language is likely to be scrutinized by mediators in Egypt and Qatar, who are pressing for a final agreement.
The President’s remarks underscored the immense pressure placed on the two-year conflict’s combatants. For Israel, the plan offers a mechanism to secure the return of its captured citizens and dismantle its most persistent security threat.
For the people of Gaza, who have suffered nearly two years of devastating war, it promises an end to the fighting and a massive, internationally-backed reconstruction effort.
The international community, including key Arab states, has largely thrown its support behind the U.S. framework, creating the unified front the President alluded to in his statement.
As the region awaits an official response from Hamas to the latest proposals, the President’s assertion that the deal is both “ongoing” and nearing a conclusion with minimal flexibility suggests a final, high-stakes diplomatic push is now underway to halt the war.
