Palestine hails Trump’s peace efforts, affirms readiness to work with US to end Gaza war

On Monday, the US president announced a 20-point plan to end Israel's war on the besieged Gaza Strip during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The plan includes the release of Israeli captives in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners, complete disarmament of Hamas, and the formation of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee to govern the enclave.

“The State of Palestine welcomes the sincere and determined efforts of President Donald J. Trump to end the war on Gaza and affirms its confidence in his ability to find a path toward peace,” the official Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted a presidency statement as saying.

The presidency stressed the importance of partnership with Washington in achieving regional peace and renewed “its joint commitment to work with the United States, regional states, and partners to end the war on Gaza through a comprehensive agreement.”

According to the statement, a comprehensive agreement is required to ensure the sufficient delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the establishment of mechanisms to protect the Palestinian people, and full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

“This would also ensure the unification of Palestinian land and institutions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, end the occupation, and open the path toward a just peace based on the two-state solution, with the independent and sovereign State of Palestine living side by side with the State of Israel in security, peace, and good neighborliness, in accordance with international legitimacy,” the statement added.

The Israeli army has killed over 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to a famine.