President Trump is sending his envoys Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner to Egypt to help complete a hostage release deal after Hamas and Israel backed his 20-point proposal to end the Gaza War, despite Hamas’ half-baked agreement. It didn’t take Hamas till Sunday 6 p.m. – deadline set by Trump – to respond positively for obvious reasons.
Surrounded and facing a “total annihilation”, Hamas had to “kowtow” to Trump, who threatened that Hamas would face “all HELL, like no one has ever seen before” if they reject the offer. Trump wrote – “We will have PEACE in the Middle East one way or the other. The violence and bloodshed will stop. RELEASES THE HOSTAGES, ALL OF THEM, INCLUDING THE BODIES OF THOSE THAT ARE DEAD, NOW!”
Trump’s last warning (or bluffing) appeared to pay off when he wrote – “Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off. I will not tolerate delay, which many think will happen, or any outcome where Gaza poses a threat again.” Hamas quickly agrees to release all remaining hostages – both dead and alive – but wants further negotiations on a number of key points in the U.S. peace plan.
It’s not rocket science that Hamas is trying to buy some time. While it had no choice but to give up 48 hostages, where only 20 of whom are thought to be alive, it disagrees to its disarmament and rejects a demand to play no further role in the governance of Gaza. The terror group knew the release of all hostages – its last bargaining chip – was non-negotiable.
Despite Hamas’ non-full compliance, Trump rushed to declare victory and wrote on Saturday afternoon on Truth Social – “When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal, which will bring us close to the end of this 3,000 YEAR CATASTROPHE.”
While Israel and Hamas have each said they accept the hostage release deal, both hinted at significant points of disagreement. The Jewish state’s top priority is to get all its remaining hostages back home. The terrorist organization’s top priority, meanwhile, is to exchange all Israeli detainees with Palestinian prisoners and to halt Israel military operations.
After all Israeli hostages are released, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could freely eliminate Hamas without any concerns or restrictions. He could easily use Hamas’ non-compliance to the Trump’s 20-point proposal as an excuse to stay in Gaza to slowly butcher every single Hamas militant. But he could also face pressure to end the war as Trump eyes the Nobel Peace Prize.
On the other hand, after an estimated 250 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences and more than 1,700 detainees from the Gaza Strip are released, Hamas hopes the international pressure on Israel to withdraw from Gaza would overwhelm the 20-point that requires Hamas to surrender its weapons, which in turn would allow the group to stay relevant – both politically and militarily – in Gaza.
Still, not many realized how Trump’s 20-point peace plan could be easily accepted by Hamas, whose leadership had previously insisted that Israeli military must first withdraw from Gaza before anything else, especially the release of hostages, could be discussed. Now, the priority is reversed – all hostages must first be released before Hamas could start begging for Israel’s withdrawal.
Everything began on September 9, when Israeli missiles stunningly slammed into an office in Qatar where Hamas’s top negotiators were meeting to discuss President Trump’s latest proposal for a cease-fire. Crucially, the attack on the soil of a major U.S. security partner came with little warning to Trump and none for Qatar. It was a brilliant tactical move that would change the landscape.
Qatar was absolutely furious whilst its Persian Gulf neighbours were both surprised and shocked. At first, the Trump administration feared loose cannon Netanyahu could jeopardise the U.S. peace efforts. Ultimately, the crisis was turned into an opportunity. The attack was a sobering reminder to Arab countries of the risk of regional escalation, focusing their minds on peace.
Turning the Israeli missiles strike to his advantage, Trump, together with Netanyahu, finally found the leverage to bulldoze a peace plan that even the Arab world has no choice but to accept. The leverage was fear and the message was that if even Qatar isn’t immune to Israeli attacks, the entire Middle East could go up in smoke if the Arabs continue to dance to the tune of Hamas.
If they want peace, Hamas has to be sacrificed because Israel clearly isn’t going to back down. Not only Israel is winning the war, its ruthlessness is beyond Washington’s control. Trump actually learned of the Qatar attack from the U.S. military, which got a vague heads up from Israel before figuring out the target was Doha when space-based sensors picked up the missiles.
The president instructed Witkoff to alert Qatar, but it was too late as the warning came after the missiles had landed. It was a huge humiliation for Qatar, who, like many Gulf states, is wealthy but small and relies on the U.S. for protection. The attack not only disrupted the peace talks, but the entire region’s sense of security and confidence. If the U.S. can’t control Israel, then the Arab nations are vulnerable.
Essentially, all the Arab governments have to stop pussyfooting. For two years since Hamas triggered the war on October 7, 2023, an attack which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly Israeli civilians, the Jewish state’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 67,000 Palestinians, including Hamas terrorists. Yet, the war continues indefinitely as negotiations kept failing.
Here are the problems – Hamas didn’t want to release its remaining hostages without a guaranteed end to the war. Israel wasn’t willing to fully leave Gaza, let alone ending the war, until Hamas was completely neutralized. Arab governments were reluctant to send in troops and looked like occupiers working for Israel and wanted a commitment to a Palestinian state before coming in.
Worse, the Israel-Hamas war was growing – from bad to worse. Israel’s 2½-month embargo on aid into Gaza had left the enclave desperately low on food, prompting international experts to declare a famine around Gaza City, where a million Palestinians were sheltering. Initially, Israel eased the constraints on food, but then announced plans for a major offensive to take Gaza City.
Germany, a loyal ally, suspended arms deliveries in response, and a number of Western governments said they would recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in late September. Israel boldly retaliated to create a new bargaining chip by threatening to annex the West Bank, the heart of any future state – a red line for Arab governments.
When smoke rises from explosions after an Israeli strike in Doha, it was not only a message that Israel has the capability to strike any country seen harbouring and protecting Hamas leaders, but also a message that Israel is willing to screw the U.S. just to get the jobs done. Now the world understands why Netanyahu authorized the attack on the U.S. ally, even though it did not kill the Hamas leaders.
Qatar could only complain, cutting off all communication with Israel and demanding an apology. After the unthinkable missiles strike, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani flew to Washington for a meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. That evening, he joined Trump and Witkoff for dinner at Trump Tower in New York.
Donald Trump assured the Qatari leader that the U.S. had nothing to do with Israel’s strike. Washington would work to ensure nothing like it ever happened again and wanted to get peace talks back on track. The U.N. General Assembly was fast approaching. And Trump wanted to host a meeting with Arab and Muslim leaders about an American peace plan for Gaza.
Ahead of the meeting, Witkoff, Vance, Rubio and Kushner spoke often with Trump about what they wanted to accomplish. Trump’s preference was clear – use the moment to end the war. There were multiple proposals floating around for months – one by the U.S., others by France and Saudi Arabia. Even former British Prime Minister Tony Blair had crafted another.
What was once a roughly seven-point plan the U.S. and Israel had discussed turned into a 21-point proposal. On Sept. 23, Trump chaired a meeting with Arab and Muslim leaders on the sidelines of an annual U.N. conference to present the plan. For expediency’s sake, Witkoff narrowed the 21 points down to about 10 main ideas without delving too deeply into specifics.
Unlike previously, the Arab and Muslim representatives this round emerged making positive comments about progress. Privately, they decided to unite and drafted points that should be in the plan. Trump promised them that their concerns would be addressed and that he would put pressure on Netanyahu, including that he would prevent Israel from annexing the West Bank.
Hani Ramadan, a father of two children living in an apartment in Gaza’s Nuseirat area, said the Trump plan, at the least, would stop the war. “We have reached a stage where we just want any solution whereby we will not be targeted. We want to eat, drink and live.” But it was not only the Gazans, who initially celebrated Hamas’ Oct 7 attack, are getting sick and tired of the war.
Qatar, Egypt and Turkey – the countries with which Hamas has the closest ties – have warned the terror group’s leaders that this is their last chance to end the war in Gaza. To make matters worse, a split between Hamas’ political leadership headquartered in the luxury Qatar and its armed wing in Gaza saw Hamas politicians agreed to the peace plan whilst its military commanders resist surrendering weapons and control.
Qatar tried to push for a clear path to end the war and a peace process that includes a Palestinian state. Egypt, meanwhile, said it wouldn’t help secure Gaza without a bigger role for the Palestinian Authority and a U.N. resolution backing the plan. The Arab countries also wanted a commitment to a full withdrawal by Israeli troops and a guarantee the West Bank wouldn’t be annexed.
More importantly, they also suggested Hamas be required to lay down its arms rather than destroy them to save face. The hard work to glue a peace plan saw a series of heated meetings among Witkoff, Kushner, Netanyahu confidant Ron Dermer, and top officials from Qatar and Saudi Arabia. However, as expected, beggars or losers can’t be choosers.
Netanyahu objects to any serious reference to a Palestinian state or involvement by the Palestinian Authority, which governs part of the West Bank. Hamas bristles at fully disarming and wants better guarantees Israel will withdraw. Arab governments are concerned the deal is so tough on Hamas and so weak on a path to a Palestinian state that they can’t sell it to their citizens.
When Arab leaders saw the final version of the plan, they were both upset and surprised to find it had ignored many of their changes and featured a number of amendments that they opposed. There were no specifics on when Israeli troops would withdraw, and the reference to a Palestinian state had been watered down. The Arab and Muslim countries pleaded to the U.S. to delay the announcement of the peace plan.
President Trump went ahead anyway. “This is far more than anybody expected. But the level of support that I’ve had from the nations in the Middle East and surrounding Israel, and neighbours of Israel, has been incredible,” – Trump said at the 20-point plan’s revelation alongside Netanyahu at the White House. Left with little choice, Muslim countries made a collective decision to issue a joint statement of support.
At the very least, the main components of the 20-point plan are acceptable to almost everyone – Hamas surrendering hostages and giving up power, Israel pulling back troops gradually, aid would flow into the enclave, Arab international forces to provide security in Gaza and Palestinian technocrats to administer the enclave. The peace plan has to start somewhere.
There are some wins for the Arabs to take home. Trump’s plan for relocating Palestinians from Gaza while it was rebuilt had been dropped. Trump also got Netanyahu to express his regrets to Qatar for the strike. “There are matters that need clarification and others for sure require discussion and negotiations,” – said Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, leader of the U.A.E.
When Hamas delivered its “yes, but” (a play out of Iran’s playbook) acceptance of the Trump’s Gaza peace plan on Friday, some Arab negotiators looked at the response and concluded it was a “no.” Likewise, Israel viewed Hamas’ response as a rejection of Trump’s plan. Only Donald Trump was celebrating, ordering Israel to stop bombing Gaza immediately and calling Netanyahu to brag about the good news.
As far as Netanyahu is concerned, there is no peace until all hostages are released. An easing of offensive operations to make Trump happy does not mean a commitment to a ceasefire. Hamas was capitalizing on Trump’s desperation. Israeli troops continue to surround Gaza City with orders to remain alert and ready to respond to threats. Netanyahu said he would only work to end the war on Israel’s and Trump’s terms.
Other Articles That May Interest You …
- How Trump Checkmates Hamas With 20-Point Plan To End Gaza War
- No More Safe Havens – Israel’s Airstrike In Qatar Sends New Message To Countries Harbouring Hamas Terrorist
- Where’s Hero Anwar? – Palestinians Staged Largest Anti-Hamas Protests, Only To Be Tortured & Executed
- Ran Out Of Luck And Place To Hide – Here’s How Israel Trainee Squad Accidentally Killed Hamas Mastermind Sinwar
- Live By The Sword, Die By The Sword – Anwar Madly Angry After BFF Hamas Terrorist Leader Haniyeh Assassinated
- Playing A Dangerous Game – Here’s Why Facebook Removes News Of PM Anwar Meeting With Hamas Terrorists
- Hamas Is Game Over – How The Terror Group Miscalculated, Betrayed, Abandoned And Made More Mistakes
- Careful What You Wish For – U.S. May Slap Economic Sanction On Malaysia For Supporting & Training Hamas Terrorists
- Human Shields – How Hamas Cleverly Wins Propaganda War, But Was Stunned Bpalesy “Fire Power” Unleashed By Israel
- Told You So!! – Congrats To Anwar For Radicalizing School Kids As Potential Hamas Terrorists Playing With Guns
- An Eye For An Eye!!! – No One Can Stop Israel From Reducing Gaza To Rubble And Erase Hamas Terrorists
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October 6th, 2025 by financetwitter
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