US President Donald Trump has said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to back a US-sponsored Gaza peace proposal aimed at ending a nearly two-year-old war in the Palestinian enclave, including a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Mr Netanyahu, Mr Trump said they were "beyond very close" to forging an elusive peace deal and that he hoped Hamas militants would also accept it.
The White House released Mr Trump's 20-point plan that calls for a ceasefire, a swap of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave, Hamas disarmament and a transitional government led by an international body.
The Qatari prime minister and the Egyptian intelligence chief shared Mr Trump's Gaza plan with Palestinian militant group Hamas, an official briefed on the talks said.
Hamas negotiators told mediators they will review the plan "in good faith" and provide response, the official said.
"I also want to thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for agreeing to the plan and for trusting that if we work together, we can bring an end to the death and destruction that we've seen for so many years, decades, even centuries and begin a new chapter of security, peace and prosperity for the entire region," Mr Trump said.
In Mr Netanyahu's fourth visit to the White House since Mr Trump returned to office in January, the right-wing Israeli leader was looking to shore up his country’s most important relationship after a slew of Western leaders formally embraced Palestinian statehood last week in defiance of the US and Israel.
Mr Trump, who sharply criticised the recognition moves as a prize for Hamas, was seeking Mr Netanyahu’s agreement despite Israel's misgivings on parts of the plan.
It marked a stepped-up diplomatic effort from the US president, who vowed during the 2024 presidential campaign to quickly bring the conflict to a close and has since repeatedly claimed that a peace deal was near, only for it to fail to materialize.
Trump unveils plan for 'peace in the Middle East'
Hamas's apparent absence from the negotiations has raised questions about the prospects for the latest initiative.
If both sides agree to the proposal, "the war will immediately end," according to the plan.
Mr Netanyahu made clear he was in favour, saying it "achieves our war aims," while Mr Trump said he was hopeful that Hamas would also give its backing.
Once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans who were detained after the start of the war on 7 October, 2023, the plan says.
Gaza residents would also not be forcibly displaced.
Mr Netanyahu also expressed regret for an Israeli attack on Doha to Qatar's leader in a three-way call with Mr Trump, the White House said.
The White House added that leaders accepted Mr Trump's proposal to establish a trilateral mechanism.
After the meeting, Mr Trump said: "We are beyond very close on Gaza peace deal."
A source familiar with the discussions said Israeli officials had raised concerns with US counterparts over the proposal, including over the proposed involvement of Palestinian security forces in Gaza after the war, a lack of clarity over whether Hamas officials would be expelled from the enclave, and over who would hold overall responsibility for Gaza's security.
Tony Blair would feature in 'Board of Peace' for Gaza, chaired by Trump
Mr Trump's peace plan also proposes former UK prime minister Tony Blair be part of an interim authority in Gaza.
Under the plan, Gaza will then be temporarily governed by a transitional committee of qualified Palestinian and international experts, with oversight from a new international transitional body, referred to as the 'Board of Peace'.
The 'Board of Peace' will be chaired by Mr Trump, working alongside other international leaders, including Mr Blair.
This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until the Palestinian Authority has undergone sufficient reform that it can take over.
Contrary to calls by right-wing Israeli government ministers, Palestinians would not be forced to leave Gaza and Israel will not annex the territory.
Instead, the plan says that the transitional body will "encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza".
The plan calls for an "international Stabilization Force" to deploy immediately in Gaza, with support from Arab states.
The force will train Palestinian police in Gaza and work to ensure security with Israel and neighboring Egypt.
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet outside White House
The plan does not rule out a Palestinian state, despite Mr Netanyahu's longtime vows to fight one, including after recent recognition of a State of Palestine by France, Britain and other powers.
"The conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people," the plan says.
The plan also suggests allowing a role for the Palestinian Authority once it has "completed its reform program" and points to a French-backed initiative to strengthen the Ramallah-based body, which opposes Hamas.
Israeli tanks close in on hospital
Meanwhile, there was no let-up on the ground, where Israel has launched one of its biggest offensives of the war this month, an all-out assault on Gaza City, where Mr Netanyahu says he aims to wipe out Hamas in its final redoubts.
Huda, a Palestinian woman sheltering in Deir Al Balah south of Gaza City with her two children, said that she worried Mr Trump's latest peace plan was "going to be another disappointment".
"Trump has made promises in the past that all turned out to be fiction," she said by phone.
Abu Abdallah, sheltering with nearly two dozen family members in tents along the Gaza City coast, said the family was waiting until after the White House meeting before deciding whether to flee south.
"It is either peace or Gaza City would be wiped out, just like Rafah was," he said, referring to a southern city that Israel completely flattened earlier in the war.
Israeli tanks have advanced to within a few hundred metres from Gaza City's main Al Shifa Hospital, where doctors say hundreds of patients are still being treated despite Israeli orders to leave.
Health officials said tanks had also surrounded the area around nearby Al Helo hospital, where 90 patients were being treated including 12 babies in incubators. Medics said the hospital was shelled overnight.
Israel has said it will not halt fighting unless Hamas frees all hostages and permanently surrenders its weapons.
Hamas, which precipitated the war by attacking Israel nearly two years ago, says it is willing to free its hostages in return for an end to the war, but will not give up its arms as long as Palestinians are still fighting for a state. It has said it has yet to be shown any new US peace proposal.
More than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 2023, according to Gaza's health authorities, figures deemed reliable by the United Nations.
Hamas-led fighters killed around 1,200 people and captured 251 hostages in their October 2023 attack, according to Israeli tallies.
