Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday praised United States President Donald Trump’s peace efforts in Gaza, calling them a “significant step forward”, hours after Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed to parts of a 20-point peace plan.

“Indications of the release of hostages mark a significant step forward,” Modi said on social media. “India will continue to strongly support all efforts towards a durable and just peace.”

On Monday, Trump announced a 20-point plan to bring peace to Gaza, saying that “we are beyond very close” to ending the conflict.

Modi had earlier welcomed the plan on Tuesday, saying that it provides a “viable pathway to long term and sustainable peace, security and development for the Palestinian and Israeli people” and for West Asia.

“We hope that all concerned will come together behind President Trump’s initiative and support this effort to end conflict and secure peace,” Modi had said at the time.

On Friday, Trump had set a deadline for Hamas to accept the plan by Sunday, 6 pm Washington DC time, warning that if the group refused, “all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas”.

Hours later, he quoted Hamas as having said that it was willing to release all hostages as prescribed by his plan. Hamas also expressed its willingness to begin negotiations immediately, Trump quoted the militant group as having said.

Based on this, Trump said the group appeared “ready for a lasting peace”.

The US president also called on Israel to “immediately stop the bombing” of Gaza, “so that we can get the hostages out safely and quickly”.

While Hamas has accepted certain points of Trump’s proposal, the group’s response did not address the issue of disarmament. It also appeared to reject the proposed international “Board of Peace” that would govern Gaza under the plan, Al Jazeera reported.

Instead, the militant group said that it was ready to “hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents [technocrats] based on Palestinian national consensus and with Arab and Islamic support”.

Israel’s military offensive in Gaza began in October 2023 after Hamas killed 1,200 persons during its incursion into southern Israel and took hostages. Israel has been carrying out unprecedented air and ground strikes on besieged Gaza since then, leaving more than 67,000 persons dead.

In August, the UN formally declared a famine in northern Gaza. In September, a commission of inquiry set up by the United Nations said that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israel called the report “distorted and false”, and demanded that the commission be immediately abolished.

Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks since July. Earlier efforts to reinstate a brief ceasefire that took effect in January had stalled due to disagreements between the two sides.

 Trump’s proposal

The plan entails Israeli forces partially withdrawing from Gaza to prepare for hostages to be released.

Within 72 hours of Israel accepting the proposal, Hamas would have to return all hostages, whether alive or dead. Subsequently, Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners undergoing life terms, as well as 1,700 Gaza residents who were detained after the conflict began.

Members of Hamas who “commit to peaceful coexistence” and agree to lay down arms will be given amnesty. Hamas members who want to leave Gaza will be given safe passage to receiving countries, as per the proposal.

The White House said that Israel will not annex Gaza and no one will be forced to leave the region.

Israeli security forces will progressively hand over the territory in Gaza that they are occupying to a temporary International Stabilisation Force.

The proposal also envisions a “Board of Peace” comprising international overseers led by Trump himself. The board will include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, although the proposal has not yet specified his role.

Gaza will be governed by a temporary “technocratic, apolitical” committee comprising Palestinians and global experts and the “Board of Peace” will oversee the committee’s functioning. The proposal will require Hamas to have no direct or indirect role in governing Gaza. All military infrastructure, including tunnels and factories producing arms, must be dismantled.

Also read: Opinion: Could India be considered complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza?

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