Things certainly haven’t unfolded as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had envisioned.
Just this past Monday, Netanyahu believed he had secured a definitive peace plan from President Trump, one that guaranteed Israel’s complete victory over Hamas. This plan presented a stark ultimatum: Hamas had 72 hours to release all remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, disarm completely, and relinquish any future role in the territory’s governance. Failure to comply would grant Israel unrestricted authority to eliminate the group.
However, by Friday, Hamas responded to a fresh ultimatum from Trump with an announcement: they were prepared to release all hostages. Critically, their statement omitted any timeline for the release, avoided committing to disarming, and expressed a desire to “discuss the details” of Trump’s proposal.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch supporter of Netanyahu, quickly interpreted Hamas’s response as “in essence, a rejection” of the president’s initiative, sharing his views publicly.
Similarly, Michael Herzog, Netanyahu’s former ambassador to the United States, described it in an interview as “a ‘no’ cloaked as a ‘yes’.”
Despite these cautious interpretations, President Trump wholeheartedly embraced the Hamas statement as an unequivocal “yes.” He declared publicly, “Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!”
Netanyahu’s office delayed its response for several hours, finally releasing a statement after 3 a.m. Saturday, Israel time. It affirmed the country’s readiness for the “immediate release of all hostages,” but conspicuously omitted any mention of Hamas’s proposed conditions. Instead, the statement circled back to Trump’s original peace plan, asserting that Israel would collaborate with the White House “to end the war in accordance with the principles set forth by Israel that are consistent with President Trump’s vision.”
The sudden glimmer of hope for hostage returns and an end to the brutal, nearly two-year-long conflict brought a wave of optimism across both Israel and Gaza on Saturday.
Now, Netanyahu faces immense pressure, caught between internal political struggles and a global chorus. President Trump, along with numerous Muslim and Arab nations, and indeed many countries worldwide, have reacted to Friday’s developments as if peace were already a certainty.
“He will find himself with the entire world applauding, and he’ll have to justify why he opposes it,” remarked Eran Etzion, a former deputy Israeli national security adviser.
Etzion suggested that Trump’s demand for an immediate Israeli military halt, followed by direct negotiations between Israel and Hamas, would be unwelcome news for the Prime Minister. “These negotiations will be conducted under the conditions of a cease-fire, which is contrary to Netanyahu’s design,” Etzion explained. “Netanyahu wanted this all to take place under Israeli military pressure.”
Furthermore, Friday’s dramatic shift is poised to destabilize Netanyahu’s ruling coalition. His right-wing allies had previously been apprised, via Trump’s initial Monday proposal, that their aspirations to permanently expel Palestinians from Gaza, and to settle and annex the territory, were no longer viable. Now, they face the grim reality that Hamas might not be eradicated and could even refuse to disarm.
“I don’t see how his coalition partners can accept this,” stated Shira Efron, an Israeli policy analyst at RAND Corporation.
“Netanyahu could frame this as a victory if he chooses,” she noted, highlighting that the Trump plan promises to end the war, secure the hostages’ release, establish a new governing body in Gaza to replace Hamas, and enlist Arab and Muslim nations in the region’s stabilization and reconstruction efforts.
“However, his partners held out for a different narrative,” she concluded, “an entirely unrealistic one.”