US President Donald Trump hailed a new Gaza peace plan announced last week as a "historic breakthrough." The plan aims to end ongoing fighting and alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. However, it has so far resulted in a standoff between Israel and Hamas, the key belligerents in the conflict.

The Gaza-based group Hamas, which launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing over 1,000 people and triggering nearly three years of Israeli military operations, has agreed to disarm for the first time after years of promoting armed resistance. This development is seen as significant by experts such as Muhammad Shehada, a visiting fellow at the European Council of Foreign Affairs.

Despite this, the Israeli military's campaign has resulted in over 73,000 deaths in Gaza, leading a UN independent commission of inquiry to classify Israel's actions as genocide.

Following a meeting on Monday, August 3, 2026, between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the US-led Board of Peace, it was announced that Hamas' disarming and an Israeli withdrawal would no longer occur in phases as originally outlined in the 15-point plan.

Netanyahu faces a critical election in October 2026 and is under pressure not to appear flexible on Hamas, as noted by Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Concessions on Gaza could provoke public outcry and reduce coalition prospects from the far right.

Reports suggest President Trump would be "very disappointed" if Israel does not agree to the peace plan, indicating potential US pressure on Israel to accede.

Some experts note differences between this plan and previous efforts that could be positive, and Trump's statements suggest he may push Israel more forcefully toward acceptance. However, the publicly available version of the plan does not reflect Israel's positions, and the situation remains tense.

Sources