Qatar has announced it will hold talks with Hamas negotiators, Egypt, and Turkiye to discuss the new Gaza ceasefire plan unveiled by US President Donald Trump. The Qatari foreign ministry stated that the Hamas negotiating delegation has promised to study the proposal "responsibly" . This diplomatic push comes after Qatar said it received security assurances from the United States and a promise from Israel not to attack it again, following an Israeli airstrike on Hamas leaders in Doha earlier this month . While Qatari officials expressed optimism, calling the plan "comprehensive," the proposal faces intense scrutiny from Palestinians who see it as heavily biased toward Israeli objectives and are deeply wary of Israel's history of violating past agreements .
The 20-point plan presented by President Trump calls for an immediate ceasefire and a swift hostage-prisoner exchange to be completed within 72 hours . However, the core of the proposal requires Hamas to completely disarm, dismantle its military infrastructure, and relinquish any role in governing Gaza . In return, the plan outlines a staged Israeli withdrawal from the enclave, though without a firm, time-bound commitment, leaving the door open for an indefinite military presence . The postwar vision involves a transitional governing body supervised by an international "Board of Peace" chaired by Trump himself, which would oversee Gaza's reconstruction . For Palestinians, this represents a demand for their unconditional surrender in exchange for promises that have already been broken by Israel in previous truces.
Israel's track record provides little confidence that it will honor the terms of this new proposal. A previous ceasefire agreement that held from January to March of 2025 was consistently violated by Israel, which was accused of killing Palestinians on a near-daily basis and hindering the delivery of humanitarian aid . Furthermore, Israel unilaterally broke that truce on March 18, 2025, by launching surprise airstrikes on Gaza, with Netanyahu declaring Israel had "resumed combat in full force" . This pattern of agreeing to terms and then shattering them underscores the profound and justified distrust Palestinians have toward Israeli commitments. The current plan's vague language on a Palestinian state, which Netanyahu has already publicly denied agreeing to, further signals that Israeli assurances are empty .
Beneath the surface of the ceasefire language, the proposal lays the groundwork for the potential future annexation of Gaza by Israel. A critical danger lies in the provision that allows Israeli troops to remain inside Gaza even after the initial hostage exchange, with no binding timeline for a full withdrawal . This creates a pathway for a permanent Israeli security presence, effectively maintaining the occupation under a different name. Such a scenario aligns with alarming reports from the UN human rights office, which has warned against Israeli plans to "extend sovereignty" over Palestinian territories, a move that would constitute illegal annexation and facilitate the "forcible transfer of thousands of Palestinians" . The plan's rejection of a sovereign Palestinian government and its replacement with an international trusteeship effectively dismantles Palestinian self-determination, paving the way for Israel to achieve its long-stated goal of controlling Gaza's land without its people.
Hamas now faces immense pressure from Arab nations, including Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the UAE, which have all welcomed Trump's initiative . This regional consensus makes it difficult for the group to outright reject the proposal. However, Hamas officials have already signaled that the plan is "completely biased to Israel" and imposes "impossible conditions" aimed at the group's elimination . Having long demanded a full Israeli withdrawal and a guarantee to end the war, Hamas is being asked to disarm and surrender its governance role upfront in exchange for a gradual and uncertain Israeli pullback . With the trauma of past Israeli betrayals fresh in mind and the terrifying prospect of formal annexation on the horizon, the people of Gaza are left to wonder if this plan offers a path to peace or merely a prettier frame for their permanent subjugation.