Trump on Gaza deal push: ‘I said, Bibi, this is your chance for victory’

US President Donald Trump says he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Tel Aviv’s last chance for victory in Gaza lies in the 20-point plan he proposed to both sides.

“I said, ‘Bibi, this is your chance for victory,’” Trump was quoted as saying by Axios on Saturday.

“He was fine with it,” he said. “He’s got to be fine with it. He has no choice. With me, you got to be fine.”

An earlier report by Axios claimed a “surprised” Netanyahu had taken the opposite stance to what Trump had proposed, telling his team to stick to the original Gaza plan that they had from before.

It said Netanyahu had been “surprised” by Trump’s announcement on Friday of “a lasting PEACE” deal in Gaza.

Explainer: How Hamas stumped Trump, outwitted Netanyahu with its Gaza 'plan' response

In a diplomatic masterstroke, Hamas accepted Trump’s Gaza plan in principle, agreeing to release captives and transfer power while rejecting foreign control and insisting that Gaza’s future governance must be based on national consensus.

Netanyahu wanted to make sure that it did not become established that the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement had given a positive answer to Trump’s Gaza plan, Axios reported.

Meanwhile, Egypt announced on Saturday that indirect peace talks between the Israeli and Hamas negotiators on the implementation of Trump’s 20-point deal are scheduled to start in the Egyptian resort port city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday.

A White House official told Axios that Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner were in Egypt to finalize the release of Israeli captives “and discuss the lasting peace deal.”

In a message posted on Truth Social, Trump told Hamas to “move quickly” toward the release of the remaining Israeli captives, dead or alive, or else his Gaza proposal will be off the table.

“I will not tolerate delay, which many think will happen, or any outcome where Gaza poses a threat again. Let’s get this done, FAST. Everyone will be treated fairly!” Trump said, claiming that the Israeli regime forces had “temporarily” stopped the bombing of Gaza in order to have the captives released, as well as to give peace a chance.

Resistance groups hail Hamas’s ‘realistic’ stance, blast Trump’s biased ceasefire plan

Resistance movements voice strong support for Hamas’s response to a US-led ceasefire plan, while sharply criticizing the proposal as an instrument of war and a threat to Palestinian rights.

Trump’s Gaza plan has met with various reactions worldwide. The plan met cautious reactions from the political leaders in Europe who are skeptical about Palestinian sovereignty, the role of the transitional government, and the guarantee of implementation of the plan’s provisions.

Analysts see Trump’s initiative as biased, incomplete, and in clear conflict with the legitimate will and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

They criticize Trump’s Gaza proposal for ignoring the role of Palestinian groups, limiting Gaza’s future to a temporary structure under international supervision, and for lacking any real guarantees for the formation of an independent Palestinian state.

They say Trump’s initiative is more of an attempt to consolidate the position of the Israeli regime and short-term management of the crisis in favor of Washington and Tel Aviv, instead of a fair and just response to the Israeli atrocities and genocidal war against the Palestinians.

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