President Donald Trump released a comprehensive peace plan on Monday to end the war in Gaza and assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel can escalate its campaign in Gaza with the “full backing” of the U.S. in the likely event that Hamas refuses to approve the proposal.

Trump unveiled the the 20-point plan during a joint address with Netanyahu after the pair met to discuss the Gaza war and to work toward easing tensions with Qatar following an Israeli airstrike on Hamas targets in the country.

The president predicted that Hamas would respond positively to the plan, which eliminates the organization entirely from participation in the governance of Gaza. Should the terror group resist the proposal, Trump warned, “Israel would have my full backing to finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas.”

“Bibi you’d have our full backing to do what you would have to do,” Trump continued.

Netanyahu praised Trump’s plan as a significant step towards ending the war in Gaza and bringing peace throughout the Middle East. He also laid out the timeline for Israel to implement the plan if Hamas agrees to go along with it.

“Hamas will be disarmed. Gaza will be demilitarized. Israel will retain security responsibility, including a security perimeter for the foreseeable future,” Netanyahu stated.

“And lastly, Gaza will have a peaceful, civilian administration that is run neither by Hamas nor by the Palestinian Authority.”

If adopted, the Trump administration’s framework requires that Hamas immediately release all hostages, living and dead. In return, Israel would begin to withdraw from Gaza in phases and would release almost 2,000 Gazan prisoners. In addition, humanitarian aid will immediately flow into Gaza without interference. Hamas fighters who commit to peaceful coexistence with Israel will be allowed to remain in Gaza while any Hamas fighter that refuses will be allowed to leave the area.

The proposal would establish a “Board of Peace” with Trump as chairman and other heads of state participating. Former British prime minister Tony Blair is the only other member to be announced thus far. The board would be tasked with overseeing “a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza.” The Palestinian Authority would be allowed to take over governing Gaza once it’s undergone a series of reforms designed to weed out support for terrorism.

Trump’s plan would make Gaza a special economic zone and incentivize investments in the area in order to rebuild the war-torn region. No Gazan civilians will be forced to leave the territory and Hamas will have no role in governing the territory.

In order to keep the peace in Gaza, the U.S. and its Arab partners would deploy a a temporary international stabilization force to provide security. The force would work with Palestinian police partners, and secure Gaza’s borders to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid and prevent munitions from entering the area.

Israel would have to withdraw its military from Gaza and hand over its territory to the international stabilization force based on an agreement both sides come to. Under the terms of Trump’s deal, Israeli forces would not occupy or annex Gaza.

Trump’s peace proposal comes almost two years after the war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023 when Hamas fighters killed 1,200 innocent civilians and abducted more than 250 innocent hostages. Dozens of Americans were among the casualties on October 7 and several American citizens were taken hostage. Approximately 20 of the remaining hostages are believed to be alive.

Before Trump’s press conference with Netanyahu, the two spoke with Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani to mend the rift between them. Netanyahu apologized for Israel’s killing of a Qatari serviceman in its strike on Hamas targets, the White House said in a readout. Furthermore, Netanyahu said attacks on Qatar’s sovereignty would not happen again.

Netanyahu and Al Thani accepted Trump’s proposal to create a trilateral communication and coordination mechanism, and all three leaders discussed Trump’s peace plan. Qatar is a key U.S. ally in the Middle East and supports U.S. military operations in the region. Its ties to the U.S. and Hamas have made it a key mediator during prior negotiations between Israel and Hamas.