With Israel continuing to pound Gaza despite US President Donald Trump’s three-day old missive to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately stop bombing Gaza, the fragility of Trump’s Gaza peace plan is more than evident. On October 7, Trump expressed his frustration at Netanyahu for being “so f***ing negative”, but said that he hoped the Gaza conflict would end peacefully and that Hamas would be “completely obliterated” if they did not return the captives.
Notably, after the joint press briefing by Trump and Netanyahu, during which Trump announced the peace plan, Netanyahu reiterated his long-standing opposition to a Palestinian state, saying in a video statement shortly after the announcement: “It’s not written in the agreement. We said we would strongly oppose a Palestinian state.” Under the US plan, Hamas would have no role in governing Gaza but it implies that Gaza would be administered by Palestinians, not Israelis – which is not acceptable to Netanyahu.
With Israel continuing to pound Gaza despite US President Donald Trump’s three-day old missive to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately stop bombing Gaza, the fragility of Trump’s Gaza peace plan is more than evident
The initial response of Hamas to Trump’s peace deal was that it agrees to release all Israeli prisoners, both living and dead, according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump’s proposal “if the proper conditions for the exchanges are met”. Tahir al-Nounou, media adviser to the head of Hamas’s political bureau, told media that President Trump’s statements are encouraging, and the movement is ready to begin negotiations immediately to achieve a prisoner exchange, end the war, and secure the withdrawal of the occupation. However, Hamas did not specifically mention or accept Trump’s 20-point plan but said “renews its agreement to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats).
Speaking from the White House on October 7, Trump said, “Our team is in Egypt now, another team just left too. In serious negotiations on Gaza. I think there’s a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East. It’s something even beyond the Gaza situation. We want a release of the hostages immediately.”
Netanyahu reiterated his long-standing opposition to a Palestinian state, saying in a video statement shortly after the announcement: “It’s not written in the agreement. We said we would strongly oppose a Palestinian state.
Hamas has said that its “priority is the immediate halt of the aggression” in Gaza strip which has become the focal point of Israel’s offensive. Hamas also warned Netanyahu against the attempts to “obstruct and sabotage the current round of negotiations” and has laid down the following conditions for the ceasefire: permanent and comprehensive ceasefire; full withdrawal of the occupation army from all areas of the Gaza Strip; unrestricted entry of humanitarian and relief aid; ensuring the return of the displaced to their residential areas; immediate start of a comprehensive reconstruction process under the supervision of a Palestinian national body of technocrats, and concluding a fair prisoner exchange deal.
There is increasing revulsion globally to the carnage in Gaza by Israel, which had already reached a figure of 6,80,000 Palestinians killed, including forced starvation deaths, by April 2025.
Trump, who had earlier clamped down on pro-Palestine demonstrators in universities, is faced with massive pro-Palestine demonstrations throughout the US, as also in New York. Europe is witnessing similar rallies along with many other parts of the world. In some countries witnessing protestors are demanding that all ties with Israel should be cut off.
The initial response of Hamas to Trump’s peace deal was that it agrees to release all Israeli prisoners, both living and dead, according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump’s proposal “if the proper conditions for the exchanges are met.” However, Hamas did not specifically mention or accept Trump’s 20-point plan but said “renews its agreement to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats)
Trump’s new peace plan came in the backdrop of the following:
- The State of Palestine (which includes the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip is recognised as a sovereign state by 80% members of the United Nations (UN); so far 157 of the 193 member states of the UN, including Australia, Canada, France, and the UK have done so in September 2025. Palestine has been a non-member observer state of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) since November 2012.
- 28 countries have demanded that Israel should lift aid restrictions and immediately end operations in Gaza.
- Netanyahu’s address at the UN witnessed mass walkouts.
- Hamas recently stated it had lost contact with two of the hostages – possibly under the rubble of Israeli bombings.
Hamas is reportedly holding 48 hostages presently, of which 26 are confirmed dead. Trump, apparently convinced Netanyahu that the only way to get the remaining hostages, especially the ones alive, is to somehow broker a peace deal. But the bogey of this peace deal, in addition to the distrust Hamas holds Israel in, should be seen in the following backdrop:
- Israel continues to bomb Gaza, killing Palestinians and hindering aid.
- Trump has said that Isreal will not annex the West Bank but operations are continuing.
- Both the US and Israel are opposed to the two-state solution. But Trump’s peace deal indicates that post the ceasefire, Palestinians would administer Gaza; which is not acceptable to Netanyahu at all.
- There is little chance of Netanyahu withdrawing the IDF from Gaza and vacating the West Bank is out of the question.
- Trump, who has been demonstrating his forked tongue periodically, has himself said earlier that he wants an American Riviera and a beach resort to be built in Gaza.
- Trump, who has demonstrated he can sacrifice principles for grabbing energy reserves and rare earth elements, has been eyeing the oil reserves under and off the coast of Gaza, which is unlikely to change.
Trump’s game appears to be to somehow make Hamas release the hostages and then let Netanyahu go all out against Palestinians – the pretexts for which are not difficult to fabricate, especially with the hostilities between Israel and Houthi, as well as between Israel and Hezbollah are continuing. This suits Netanyahu also, as long as Trump doesn’t bear down on Israel to let Palestinians administer Gaza, post the ceasefire.
There is increasing revulsion globally to the carnage in Gaza by Israel, which had already reached a figure of 6,80,000 Palestinians killed, including forced starvation deaths, by April 2025
When a Ukrainian was caught trying to enter Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion, there was speculation that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wanted Trump to be assassinated, that being the period when Trump was withdrawing support for Ukraine; there being no other reason why a Ukrainian would try to enter Mar-a-Lago. Now there is speculation that if Trump forces the Gaza administration to be given to Palestinians which is not acceptable to Netanyahu, Mossad will not fail to assassinate him.
Trump’s game appears to be to somehow make Hamas release the hostages and then let Netanyahu go all out against Palestinians – the pretexts for which are not difficult to fabricate, especially with the hostilities between Israel and Houthi, as well as between Israel and Hezbollah are continuing
Hamas or Palestinians can obviously see the danger after the ceasefire – annihilation or total vacation of Gaza, while forced migration is continuing amid the bombings and killings. What post-ceasefire guarantees can Trump give for the peace in Gaza, leave aside the everlasting Middle East peace he keeps harping upon, while preparing to attack Iran again and ensuring the revival of Al Qaeda, with Turkey training over 300 Syrian soldiers at two bases in Turkey under a Syria-Turkey deal signed in August 2025, with expected number to increase up to 20,000 – same way Turkey trained and armed ISIS before unleashing it in 2014.
It will truly be a miracle if Trump’s Gaza peace plan works out. However, at face value it appears to be as big a bogey as his promises to bring peace in Ukraine.
The author is an Indian Army veteran. Views expressed are personal.
The author is an Indian Army veteran. The views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
