How close is Gaza war to ending? What Trump’s peace plan means for Israel, Hamas

Trump's new peace plan marks a turning point and one of the most important developments in the region's recent history, amid a bloody conflict.

US President Donald Trump called on Israel to halt its bombing of Gaza after Hamas agreed to release all hostages and accepted parts of a new US-brokered peace plan. This move could bring the nearly two-year-long Gaza war closer to an end. He also issued a warning to Hamas to respond quickly.

On Friday, Donald Trump said that he is determined to bring an end to the Gaza conflict with his 20-point plan.(AP)

Trump's announcement marks a turning point and one of the most important developments in the region's recent history, amid a bloody conflict.

Israel stated it would work on the immediate implementation of the first stage of the plan, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved during a trip to Washington.

However, despite the breakthrough, multiple obstacles still stand in the way of achieving lasting peace — from questions over timelines and trust to deeper, unresolved political tensions between the warring sides.

What are the hurdles in Trump's peace plan?

Hamas's response left several key issues unanswered.

For instance, the Palestinian militant group, which attacked Israel in October 2023 and sparked Israel's offensive, did not clarify its position on disarmament—a key demand in Trump's plan and one of Israel's main goals for the war.

Netanyahu approved the plan even though it offers a possible pathway, though a highly conditional one, to a future Palestinian state, which he has said he would never allow.

Other potential sticking points include the timing and boundaries for an Israeli withdrawal and future governance of the enclave.

Will the Gaza war end now?

On Friday, Trump stated that he is determined to bring an end to the conflict with his 20-point plan.

"This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East," he said.

After Trump's demand for a halt to Israeli bombing, Gaza residents in the first hours afterwards reported heavy bombardments on Gaza City, which has been the focus of an intense Israeli offensive. Since then, residents say air strikes and other fires have dropped off dramatically, with periods of relative calm and only occasional blasts.

But this deal follows previous ceasefire attempts — one shortly after the war began in 2023 and another earlier this year — that lasted only a few weeks before war erupted again.

Israel-Hamas war: What happens next?

While Trump's plan did not provide an obvious timeline, it stated that the war would end immediately once both sides had agreed to the proposal.

Hamas did not approve all of the 20 points, saying it would engage "through mediators, in negotiations to discuss the details of this process".

The plan said all hostages, alive and deceased, were due to be released within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting the agreement, but it was not clear at what precise point the clock on that 72-hour deadline would start ticking, given that Netanyahu had agreed to the timeline several days before Hamas responded.

There may also be logistical challenges. Sources close to Hamas say handing over living hostages could prove relatively straightforward, but retrieving bodies of dead hostages amid the rubble of Gaza may take longer than a few days to achieve.

(With Reuters inputs)