US President Donald Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take concrete steps toward implementing his Gaza peace plan during a telephone conversation on Thursday. Two sources with knowledge of the discussion confirmed the details to media outlets.
Netanyahu initiated the conversation, which one source described as constructive. The call also touched on the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
Several top US officials joined the president on the line. Secretary of State Marco Rubio participated alongside presidential adviser Jared Kushner and US envoy Steve Witkoff.
The proposed roadmap for Gaza outlines several conditions. These include the total disarmament of Hamas, the complete demilitarization of the territory, and the transfer of local governance to a new Palestinian technocratic administration.
Implementation of the framework had been paused for months. The delay occurred due to the Israeli elections held on 27 October.
Washington chose to freeze the process to avoid turning the peace roadmap into a politically explosive issue during the electoral campaign in Israel. With the voting now finished, the American leadership intends to push the initiative regardless of who ultimately forms the new Israeli government.
Roughly a year ago, Israel and Hamas accepted the initial phase of Trump’s twenty-point plan. That agreement brought a temporary ceasefire to the Gaza war and secured the release of the final twenty living hostages captured during the 7 October 2023 attacks.
In the months since, a body known as Trump’s Board of Peace has worked on operationalizing the broader agreement. Their work includes drafting plans for an International Stabilization Force alongside the technocratic Palestinian government.
Despite the push from Washington, Netanyahu harbours deep doubts. He is extremely sceptical that Hamas will ever lay down its arms, claiming the faction is actively reconstituting and rearming inside the enclave.
