US President Donald Trump says Israel will withdraw from Gaza in phases under a deal negotiated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this morning. 

At a press conference after the two world leaders met, said they were very close" on a Gaza deal and thanked Netanyahu “for agreeing to the plan” on Gaza. 

There would be “peace in the Middle East”, he said, adding he had just completed an important meeting, where he and Netanyahu had talked about many things. 

“I have just concluded an important meeting on many vital issues, including Iran, trade the expansion of the Abraham Accords, and most importantly we discussed how to end the war in Gaza, but it’s just a part of the bigger picture, which is peace in the Middle East, and let’s call it eternal peace. In the Middle East. So this is far more than anybody expected.” 

He repeated “very confident” when asked if all parties were on board with the 21-point plan to end the nearly two-year war, free hostages held by Hamas and disarm the Palestinian militants. 

The US president met key Arab leaders at the United Nations last week and said Sunday on social media that “ALL ARE ON BOARD FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL, FIRST TIME EVER.” 

But Netanyahu has given little reason for optimism, vowing in a defiant UN speech Friday to “finish the job” against Hamas and rejecting Palestinian statehood - recently recognised by several Western nations. 

The White House announced that the pair are scheduled to hold a joint news conference at 1.15 pm (local time), in an apparent indication that Trump is hoping to announce a breakthrough. 

“To reach a good deal, a reasonable deal for both sides, both sides have to give up a little bit and might leave the table a little bit unhappy,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Monday. 

Hamas has not yet responded to the plan. 

‘Stand firm’ 

Trump’s plan, according to the Times of Israel and US news site Axios, calls for an immediate ceasefire, a phased Israeli withdrawal and the release of hostages within 48 hours. 

Israel would then free more than 1000 Palestinian prisoners, including several serving life terms. 

Normally a staunch ally of Netanyahu, the US President has shown increasing signs of frustration ahead of the Israeli premier’s fourth White House visit since Trump’s return to power. 

Trump was infuriated by Israel’s recent strike on Hamas members in key US ally Qatar. 

And he warned Netanyahu last week against annexing the Israeli-occupied West Bank, as some of Netanyahu’s cabinet members have urged, a move that would seriously complicate the route to Palestinian statehood. 

Netanyahu’s coalition government is propped up by the far-right ministers who oppose a peace deal. 

The path to a deal remains strewn with pitfalls. 

Both Israel and the Arab states are still quibbling with the wording of key parts of the peace plan, including the role any international force and of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority in post-War Gaza. 

“The likelihood of... a reformed Palestinian Authority that changes completely its stripes, that accepts a Jewish state... well, good luck,” Netanyahu told Fox News on Sunday. 

Voices from Gaza 

Israeli strikes continued across the Gaza Strip, killing at least four people in Khan Yunis, according to the Hamas-run territory’s civil defence agency. 

Families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza urged Trump to uphold his Gaza proposal. 

“We respectfully ask you to stand firm against any attempts to sabotage the deal you have brought forth,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in an open letter to Trump. 

In Gaza, people expressed a mix of hope, exhaustion and distrust ahead of the White House meeting. 

“I don’t expect anything from Trump, because Trump supports Netanyahu in destroying the Gaza Strip and displacing people to carry out the Riviera project,” said Mohammed Abu Rabee, 34, referring to Trump’s earlier proposal to turn the Palestinian territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” 

The outcome may hinge on how far Trump pushes Netanyahu, said Natan Sachs, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. 

“Netanyahu has a clear preference for continuing the war and defeating Hamas, but I don’t think it’s impossible for Trump to convince him otherwise,” Sachs told AFP. 

The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack that killed 1219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally from Israeli official figures. 

Israel’s offensive has killed 66,055 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable. 

- additional reporting NZ Herald 

- Agence France-Presse