US President Donald Trump has promised that “something special” is coming to Gaza, as Israeli officials say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reserved on the White House’s 21-point ceasefire and postwar governance plan.
The two leaders will meet on Monday for a high stakes debate that Trump boasts to end the war in Gaza. Trump predicted optimism on Sunday as his administration works to fill in a comprehensive plan that includes the release of all hostages Hamas holds.
“We have a real opportunity for greatness in the Middle East,” Trump wrote on social media. “Everything is on board for something special for the first time. We’ll do that!!! President DJT.”
However, in an interview with Fox News on Sunday afternoon, Netanyahu did not say he embraced the plan. “We’re working on that,” he said. “It’s not confirmed yet.”
Hamas said on Sunday that it had not received new proposals for a ceasefire. In a statement, he reiterated that he was “ready to investigate the proposals received from the mediator brothers in a positive and responsible way, supporting the national rights of our people.”
Netanyahu has presented its reservations and is expected to push forward with changes to its ceasefire plan, three Israeli officials said on Sunday, highlighting the difficulty of closing the deal, even if many details are resolved in advance.
One Israeli official said most of the 21-point plan was coordinated “in detail” in advance with Netanyahu, adding that the White House would oppose certain elements, such as a reference to the role of Palestinian authority and the aspirations of the Palestinian state in the future.
“Netanyahu is not accepting all the outlines as it was first published,” one official said. The second official said it is likely that the US will try to make more changes before finalizing the proposal “and as well as ever.”
Netanyahu met with President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner on Thursday, and met with bystanders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York to discuss the plans. Trump presented Arab countries with a ceasefire and postwar plans at the United Nations on Tuesday.
“The dynamics look even more serious this time,” said a senior Israeli official. “But we still have to cross the final line.” The final round of negotiations, also marked by important optimism, collapsed when the US surprisingly withdrew from consultations in late July and Israel retracted in close proximity. The two countries accused Hamas of not negotiating in good faith.
Since then, major mediators Egypt and Qatar have tried to resume negotiations without success. A few days after the US submitted a new ceasefire proposal earlier this month, Israeli strikes in Doha have completely derailed a speech targeting senior Hamas leaders. In a TV interview on Sunday, Netanyahu did not apologise for the strike.
“Our goal was Hamas, and we don’t go beyond that,” he said. “I think we can get a better understanding of this.”
Netanyahu’s far-right political allies Itamar Ben Gwil and Bezarel Smotrich have consistently threatened to overthrow the government if the war should end, and are expected to be decisively opposed to plans that include Palestinian authority.
“Prime Minister, we have no obligation to end the war without Hamas’ complete defeat,” Ben Gwil wrote to X on Saturday.
