Trump announces Gaza deal, says Israel won't occupy Gaza, no one will be forced to flee

President Donald Trump said on Monday that he and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu completed a meeting on Iran, trade, expansion of Abraham Accords and how to end war in Gaza, and that Israel won't occupy Gaza, and no one will be forced to flee. “Today is a historic day for peace, Netanyahu and I just completed meeting on Iran, trade, expansion of Abraham Accords and how to end war in Gaza. Let’s call it eternal peace in Middle East,” Trump said while addressing a joint news conference with Netanyahu in the State Dining Room after an extended meeting in the White House on Monday. “This plan means immediate end to war itself, not just in Gaza. Arab and Muslim countries have committed to demilitarising Gaza. All parties will agree on a timeline for Israeli forces to withdraw from Gaza, and Arab countries will deal with Hamas,” added Trump.

Trump further said that if Hamas rejects the proposal, “Israel would have my full backing to finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas.”

"If accepted by Hamas, this proposal calls for the release of ALL remaining hostages immediately, but in no case more than 72 hours... the hostages are coming back."

Thanking Netanyahu for “agreeing” to the peace plan, Trump said, “I also want to thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for agreeing to the plan and for trusting that if we work together, we can bring an end to the death and destruction that we’ve seen for so many years, decades, even centuries, and begin a new chapter of security, peace and prosperity for the entire region.”

"Israel withdrew from Gaza thinking they would live in peace...that didn't work out...The plan that we put forward today is focused on ending the war immediately, getting all of our hostages back...and creating conditions for durable Israeli security and Palestinian success," he said.

WATCH: White House Releases Gaza Peace Plan As Trump Meets Netanyahu

As per Trump’s proposal , Palestinians would be encouraged to stay in the Gaza Strip and offered “the opportunity to build a better Gaza.”

‘Discussed ceasefire and Gaza governance plan with host of foreign leaders’

Trump said he discussed his 20-point ceasefire and post-war Gaza governance plan with a host of foreign leaders. Trump added that he will chair a transitional “Board of Peace” to supervise the redevelopment of Gaza when the war ends. "The leaders of the Arab world and Israel and everybody involved asked me to do this,” he said.

The peace plan document released by the White House said the board would include other heads of state, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who played a major role in developing the new plan.

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Before the news conference, the White House shared a lengthy plan to end the Gaza conflict even as Hamas said earlier in the day that it was not consulted on the latest cease-fire proposal, which includes terms it has previously rejected.

Under Trump’s plan for ending the war, Hamas would agree “to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form,” said a White House statement. “All military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt,” it added.

Hamas has consistently and publicly refused demands that it disarm, describing its weapons as “legitimate” tools to fight Israel.

‘If Hamas does not agree to Trump’s plan, Israel would use force…’

Netanyahu said in his address that he supports Trump’s plan for the end of the war. “I support your plan to end the war in Gaza, which achieves our war aims. It will bring back to Israel all our hostages, dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities and its political rule, and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel,” he added.

“I believe that today we’re taking a critical step towards both ending the war in Gaza and setting the stage for dramatically advancing peace in the Middle East, I think beyond the Middle East,” Netanyahu said.

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“If Hamas agrees to the proposal, Israel would withdraw troops from Gaza but continue to keep them in the security perimeter for the foreseeable future,” he stressed.

Netanyahu added that if the militant group did not agree to Trump’s plan, then Israel would use force to disarm and disempower Hamas in Gaza. “But if Hamas rejects your plan, Mr. President, or if they supposedly accept it and then basically do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself.”

“This can be done the easy way or the hard way,” he said.