‘Correct and Revolutionary’: Netanyahu Backs Trump’s Gaza Plan

Latest Developments

Netanyahu Supports Trump’s Gaza Plan: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered full-throated support for President Donald Trump’s plan to rebuild Gaza. Netanyahu lauded the proposal, which calls for relocating a portion of Gaza’s civilians to another country, as a “plan that is so correct and so revolutionary.” He added that Israel is ready to end the war if Hamas releases all hostages, “lays down its arms, steps down from power, [and] its leadership is exiled from the Strip.”
Israel Fully Coordinating With U.S. on Iran Deal: Netanyahu additionally emphasized that Israel was in “full coordination” with Washington during the ongoing indirect nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States. He expressed hope that an agreement could be reached that would block all of Iran’s paths to a nuclear weapon. Such an agreement, he said, would “prevent Iran from having the ability to enrich uranium” — a Trump administration demand that Iranian leaders have dismissed as their red line.
Pressure Mounting to End War: Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel faced strong international and domestic pressure to end the war and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. He outlined a three-step strategy, including the entry of “basic food now” to stave off a humanitarian crisis, establishing U.S.-run aid distribution centers in the coming days and a planned “sterile zone” in southern Gaza that “will be totally free of Hamas [and where] residents of Gaza will receive full humanitarian aid.”

FDD Expert Response

“Netanyahu’s proposed terms for ending the war in Gaza are grounded in core Israeli security interests, particularly the disarmament of Hamas. However, these demands are fundamentally incompatible with the Islamist group’s interests. For Hamas, disarmament would signify the end of its identity as a so-called armed resistance movement and would be tantamount to surrender. Given the current balance of leverage, Hamas is more inclined to negotiate a deal focused solely on the release of the remaining hostages and ending the war while preserving its rule in Gaza.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“Israel has severely degraded Hamas and is right to pursue an end to the war — for the sake of Israelis and Palestinians. That will require Hamas to disarm and relinquish the hostages. But it is unlikely that Hamas, the terrorist group that has used Gazans as cannon fodder and deliberately maximizes their suffering, will start caring about Palestinians. Perhaps Israel’s current offensive can help change Hamas’s calculation.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst