UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS
By Mohammad Sio
ISTANBUL (AA) – Palestinian group Hamas has pledged to study US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza “responsibly,” Qatar said on Tuesday.
“Hamas received Trump’s plan late last night and promised to study it responsibly. It is still too early for the group to respond,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari told a news briefing in Doha.
He said bilateral meetings will be held on Tuesday with Hamas’ negotiating team, with the participation of Turkish and Egyptian delegations, to review the proposal.
He said Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad attended Monday’s meeting with the Hamas team to deliver the proposed plan. Rashad is also set to take part in Tuesday’s follow-up session with Hamas negotiators.
The Qatari spokesman said the first step toward ending the Gaza war is for all parties to reach a common ground.
“The vision will become clearer after the meetings with the Hamas delegation.”
Responding to a question about Türkiye’s involvement, Ansari explained that a meeting in New York between Arab and Muslim leaders and Trump expanded the initiative’s circle of participation to include all countries involved.
“That is why we see this Egyptian-Qatari-Turkish presence at the Doha meeting,” he said.
Ansari said all parties that endorsed the initiative are now part of Trump’s proposal framework and are working collectively and coordinating their efforts. Their delegations are expected to participate in future Doha meetings.
On Monday, Trump unveiled a 20-point plan to end Israel's war on Gaza during a White House press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The plan calls for the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners, the complete disarmament of Hamas, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the formation of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee to govern the enclave.
A pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood is outlined in the plan as a possibility — but not a guarantee.
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 starvation and the spread of disease.