President Donald Trump, on Sunday, indicated a significant development related to the Middle East, saying there was “a real chance for greatness in the Middle East,” ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington.
“We have a real chance for Greatness in the Middle East. All are on board for something special, first time ever. We will get it done,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social.
President Trump’s meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu on Monday comes amid his proposed 21-point plan for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, and the prospect of expanding the Abraham Accords in the hopes of normalizing Israel’s relations with Arab countries.
Earlier this week, President Trump presented a 21-point plan to end the war in Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023, with the horrific murder of more than 1200 Israelis and the kidnapping of 251 hostages.
He unveiled the plan at a meeting with the leaders of the Arab and Muslim countries, who are currently attending the United Nations summit in New York. The plan was not made public in its entirety, but some of its details have surfaced in the media. According to The Financial Times, the plan calls for “a permanent ceasefire, the release of all remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas and the deployment of an international stabilisation force for” Gaza.
Prime Minister Netanyahu appears to agree with parts of President Trump’s 21-point plan for Gaza. Talking to Fox News on Sunday, the Israeli leader praised U.S. President’s Middle East diplomacy, calling him an “incredible friend” and an ally of Israel.
Netanyahu told Fox News that he was willing to give safe passage to Hamas terrorists if they released the remaining hostages, in accordance with the Trump plan. He, however, rejected the suggestion of handing over Gaza to the Palestinian Authority, which has turned West Bank cities under its control into terrorist strongholds.
The Times of Israel reported Netanyahu’s response:
Speaking to Fox News about Washington’s 21-point plan for ending the war in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel would allow Hamas members safe passage if they end the war and release all the hostages, while reiterating his rejection of the Palestinian Authority as a viable ruler of postwar Gaza.Ahead of his planned meeting with US President Donald Trump tomorrow, Netanyahu stresses that “the details of this have to be worked out,” while telling the network that “if Hamas leaders finish the war, release all the hostages, we let them out.”“That is something that I’ve said in the past, but it has to be worked out. All of that, I think, is part of the plan. I’m not going to preempt it, because we’re having these discussions exactly right now,” he adds.Netanyahu also reaffirms his long-standing opposition to the PA governing Gaza after the war — a stance he strongly restated last week at the United Nations General Assembly.Doubting the PA’s ability to abandon incitement and terror financing, he says: “I haven’t changed my positions, and I think that the credibility or the likelihood of the things — a reformed Palestinian Authority that changes completely its stripes… Some people will believe it happens. I don’t think it’s going to happen.”Under the US plan, revealed by The Times of Israel, once the hostages are freed, Hamas members who commit to peaceful coexistence would be granted amnesty, while those who wish to leave Gaza would receive safe passage to third countries.
As the offensive to capture Gaza City enters its second week, the Israeli ground forces were advancing deeper into the Hamas stronghold in a ‘slow’ and ‘methodical’ campaign, Israel’s Ynetnews reported Sunday. This gradual approach prioritizes the safety of the Israeli soldiers on the battlefield over speed, the news website observed.
Ynetnews reported the details of the IDF’s push in Gaza City:
Israeli forces are pushing deeper into Gaza City in a slow and methodical maneuver aimed at dismantling Hamas’ remaining military strongholds, two weeks into what the army has designated Operation Gideon’s Chariots II. Commanders say the strategy is to move cautiously, prioritizing troop safety over speed, while Hamas seeks to inflict heavy Israeli losses or seize a soldier to claim a propaganda victory. (…)The IDF is reinforcing positions inside Gaza City with defensive earthworks and new logistical hubs designed to sustain a long campaign. Military engineers are moving bulldozers and trucks laden with explosives to the front lines, preparing for what commanders describe as a systematic flattening of hundreds of buildings. The goal, they say, is to make it far more difficult for Hamas to rebuild tunnel networks beneath urban areas once the war ends.The army’s Technology and Logistics Directorate has nearly completed three large forward logistics centers for the 98th, 162nd and 36th divisions, which are leading the operation. Two other divisions — Gaza Division and the 99th — remain focused on defensive operations around the city and on maintaining the Nitzanim supply route to its south.
The Israeli military also confirmed ongoing ground and aerial operations against Hamas terrorists across Gaza. “IDF troops continue operational activity against the terrorist organizations throughout the Gaza Strip,” the military disclosed on Sunday. “IDF troops dismantled military structures and combat compounds in joint operations with the Israeli Air Force, targeting military infrastructure and eliminating several terrorists operating in the area.”
Israeli fighter jets were hitting terror targets in the Hamas-infested enclave. “Over the past day, the [Air Force] struck approximately 140 military targets in the Gaza Strip, including military structures, terrorists, and additional military infrastructure,” the IDF added.
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