Israeli media obtains copy of Trump's 21-point plan for peace in Gaza A view of all clauses

US President Donald Trump presented a 21-point plan to end the Gaza war in a meeting with the leaders of Arab and Muslim-majority countries this week on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly that is being held in New York. The White House's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been involved in months of mediation efforts seeking an end to the nearly two-year war, said the administration was "hopeful, and I might say even confident" that there would be some sort of a breakthrough in the coming days. 

A joint statement from the governments involved in the September 23 meeting said the leaders had "reiterated their commitment to cooperate with President Trump and stressed the importance of his leadership to end the war".

While the administration did not elaborate on the details of the 21-point plan in the beginning, the Times of Israel (TOI) publication has shared the content of the proposal in their latest article after having obtained a copy of it. 

The Trump plan encourages Palestinians to remain in the Strip and provides for the creation of a pathway to a future Palestinian state, which presents a stark contrast to the US president's February remarks when he proposed a scenario in which the US took over the Gaza Strip and suggested temporarily relocating the roughly two million people population to start reconstruction efforts.

The TOI article has outlined all 21 points listed in the proposal, but had to paraphrase the content at the request of the sources who provided them with the document.

1. Gaza will be a de-radicalized, terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours.

2. Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of its people.

3. If both sides agree to the proposal, the war will immediately end, with Israeli forces halting all operations and gradually withdrawing from the Strip.

4. Within 48 hours of Israel publicly accepting the deal, all living and deceased hostages [kidnapped on October 7, 2023] will be returned.

5. Once the hostages are returned, Israel will free several hundred Palestinian security prisoners serving life sentences and over 1,000 Gazans arrested since the start of the war, along with the bodies of several hundred Palestinians.

6. Once the hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful coexistence will be granted amnesty, while members who wish to leave the Strip will be granted safe passage to receiving countries.

7. Once this agreement is reached, aid will surge into the Strip at rates no lower than the benchmarks set in the January 2025 hostage deal, which included 600 trucks of aid per day, along with the rehabilitation of critical infrastructure and the entry of equipment for removing rubble.

8. Aid will be distributed — without interference from either side — by the United Nations and the [International Red Cross and] Red Crescent, along with other international organizations not associated with either Israel or Hamas.

The Israeli publication commented on this point, noting that this clause appears intentionally vague and seemingly leaves an opening for the continued operation of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), as it is technically an American organization, even though it was designed in co-operation with people closely linked to the Israeli government. 

9. Gaza will be governed by a temporary, transitional government of Palestinian technocrats who will be responsible for providing day-to-day services for the people of the Strip. The committee will be supervised by a new international body established by the US in consultation with Arab and European partners. It will establish a framework for funding the redevelopment of Gaza until the Palestinian Authority (PA) has completed its reform program.

According to TOI, this is the first time the Trump administration has mentioned the PA in any peace talks. It is worth noting that Israel has ruled out the possibility of the PA, which is based in Ramallah (West Bank) as a potential ruler of Gaza but most of the international community views unifying the West Bank and Gaza under a single, reformed governing body as essential for long-term stability and peace.

"Point nine appears to borrow heavily from former UK prime minister Tony Blair’s plan for ending the war," the publication argues, which was first revealed by The Times of Israel earlier this month. Blair and former White House senior adviser Jared Kushner have been working on the Gaza plan for months, advising Witkoff.

10. An economic plan will be created to rebuild Gaza through the convening of experts with experience in constructing modern Middle East cities and through the consideration of existing plans aimed at attracting investments and creating jobs.

11. An economic zone will be established, with reduced tariffs and access rates to be negotiated by participating countries.

12. No one will be forced to leave Gaza, but those who choose to leave will be allowed to return. Moreover, Gazans will be encouraged to remain in the Strip and offered an opportunity to build a better future there.

13. Hamas will have no role in Gaza’s governance whatsoever. There will be a commitment to destroy and stop building any offensive military infrastructure, including tunnels. Gaza’s new leaders will commit to peaceful coexistence with their neighbours.

14. A security guarantee will be provided by regional partners to ensure that Hamas and other Gaza factions comply with their obligations and that Gaza ceases to pose a threat to Israel or its own people.

15. The US will work with Arab and other international partners to develop a temporary international stabilization force that will immediately deploy in Gaza to oversee security in the Strip. The force will develop and train a Palestinian police force, which will serve as a long-term internal security body.

16. Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza, and the IDF will gradually hand over territory it currently occupies, as the replacement security forces establish control and stability in the Strip.

17. If Hamas delays or rejects this proposal, the above points will proceed in terror-free areas, which the IDF will gradually hand over to the international stabilization force.

18. Israel agrees not to carry out future strikes in Qatar. The US and the international community acknowledge Doha’s important mediating role in the Gaza conflict.

19. A process will be established to de-radicalize the population. This will include an interfaith dialogue aimed at changing mindsets and narratives in Israel and Gaza.

20. When Gaza’s redevelopment has been advanced and the PA reform program has been implemented, the conditions may be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian statehood, which is recognized as the aspiration of the Palestinian people.

21. The US will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful coexistence.

By Nazrin Sadigova