The US President, Donald Trump, will set a deadline for Hamas to accept his proposal for ending the war in Gaza, the White House said on Thursday.
Trump presented on Monday a 20-point peace plan for Gaza, which received support from Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Palestinian Authority (PA), and key Arab and world leaders.
The US President later said he would give the Palestinian movement three to four days to accept the proposal. Meanwhile, Hamas was still considering the proposal, a source close to the group told Reuters on Wednesday.
Responding to a question about when Trump will consider Hamas to have walked away from the proposal, the White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, told Fox News: “It’s a red line that the president of the United States is going to have to draw. And I’m confident that he will.”
She added: “But the president and his team worked very hard on this 20-point, comprehensive, detailed plan that has been applauded all over the world. This is an acceptable plan, and we hope and we expect Hamas should accept this plan so we can move forward.”
Trump’s plan proposes an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of the remaining hostages within 72 hours, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and the demilitarization of Hamas.
It also calls for the establishment of a temporary governing authority to run the enclave and leaves the door open for an eventual Palestinian State.
Mediators Qatar and Egypt shared the plan Monday evening with Hamas negotiators to review it and give a final response.
However, the head of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, indicated to mediators that he rejects the plan, BBC reported on Thursday. Hamas has long rejected demands to lay down its arms.
