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The White House has unveiled its peace plan for Gaza – which includes a senior role for Sir Tony Blair.

The 20-point plan was released by the US government just minutes before Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu held a joint news conference on Monday evening.

As it happened: Trump unveils peace plan

The plan states that if the fighting ends, Gaza will be placed under the control of a transitional government headed by Mr Trump and others, including former British prime minister Sir Tony.

The president described him as a “good man”, while the ex-Labour leader commended the “bold” plan.

It says Gaza will “be a deradicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours”, with no role for Hamas in its future governance, and will be “redeveloped for the benefit of” its people.

It also says nobody will be forced to leave Gaza and states there will be increased aid to the enclave. Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza, it says.

The remaining Israeli hostages being held by Hamas must be released within 72 hours, the plan states. It says this will be followed by Israel releasing Palestinian prisoners.

Read more: What we know about Trump’s plan

Tony Blair will have a big role in governing Gaza, if Trump's plan goes ahead. File pic: Reuters
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Tony Blair will have a big role in governing Gaza, if Trump’s plan goes ahead. File pic: Reuters

Speaking at the White House, Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu said to Mr Trump: “I support your plan to end the war in Gaza which achieves our war aims.”

“It will bring back to Israel all our hostages, dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities and its political rule, and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel,” he said.

Hamas said on Monday evening it only received the peace plan after it was unveiled at the White House.

It has said it cannot sign up to anything that does not include Palestinian self-determination, and has dismissed any disarmament so long as Israeli occupation of Gaza continues.

Adam Parsons analysis: Hamas’ first reaction is telling

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Analysis: Will Trump’s Gaza peace plan work?

Sir Keir Starmer said the initiative is “profoundly welcome” and he is “grateful” for Mr Trump’s leadership.

“We strongly support his efforts to end the fighting, release the hostages and ensure the provision of urgent humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza,” said the British prime minister.

“This is our top priority and should happen immediately.”

The Israeli foreign ministry earlier took a swipe at the UK for Labour Party members voting to accept Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, which has placed pressure on the government to do the same.

“The world stands with the US and Israel in their efforts to end the war,” it said.

“Labour stands with Hamas. It is a disgrace for Britain that this is the party in power.”

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Trump envoy Witkoff ‘hopeful’ on Gaza plan

Blair ‘a good man’, says Trump

The US president singled out Sir Tony for praise, labelling him a “good man” as he named him one of the political figures who would be on Gaza’s transitional governing body.

Mr Trump said “leaders that are very distinguished” would be on the board, adding: “And one of the people that wants to be on the board is the UK former prime minister Tony Blair. Good man, very good man. And some others.”

Mr Trump said the body will be called the “Board of Peace”, with other members to be named in the coming days.

Sir Tony attended a meeting with Mr Trump and others to discuss the future of Gaza in August.

Read more:
Destruction of Gaza hospital witnessed by nurse
Diplomats walk out as Israeli PM speaks at UN

Many in Labour won’t like it but Blair is an experienced Middle East power broker


John Craig

Jon Craig

Chief political correspondent

@joncraig

Blair has been one of the “key architects” of the peace plan, including visiting the White House in recent months.

His history in the Middle East – the invasion of Iraq in 2003 – hangs over him, but the former PM does have experience in the area.

Going back to the 1990s, nearly 30 years ago, he was involved in talks with PLO leader Yasser Arafat and others to try to bring peace to the Middle East.

When he left Number 10 in 2007, he became a Middle East envoy for what was known as the quartet – the EU, US, Russia and the United Nations.

He gets on well with Benjamin Netanyahu – that’s another crucial factor.

While many in Labour will not be happy with Blair’s involvement, it is clear to see why the likes of Netanyahu and Trump will approve of it.

This is because Blair is an experienced negotiator and power broker in the region.

Think back to the Good Friday Agreement, his role in Kosovo and Sierra Leone – he’s always wanted to tackle these seemingly intractable international problems.

After resigning as prime minister in 2007, Sir Tony was appointed as the international community’s special envoy to the Middle East with the goal of helping develop the Palestinian economy and institutions in order to prepare the groundwork for a Palestinian state.

However, he struggled to deliver dramatic changes in the role and resigned in 2015.

In a statement issued after the White House’s announcement, Sir Tony said the US plan is “bold and intelligent”.

“It offers us the best chance of ending two years of war, misery, and suffering and I thank President Trump for his leadership, determination and commitment,” he said.

World leaders welcome Trump’s plan

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Egypt welcomed the plan.

The ministers – along with their counterparts from Pakistan, Turkey, and Indonesia – said they were ready to cooperate positively with the US and other relevant parties.

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COP30: Countries reach draft deal to help speed up climate action

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COP30: Countries reach draft deal to help speed up climate action

Countries attending COP30, the biggest climate meeting of the year, have agreed steps to help speed up climate action, according to a draft deal.

The meeting of leaders in the Brazilian city of Belem also saw them agree to reviewing related trade barriers and triple the money given to developing countries to help them withstand extreme weather events, according to the draft.

However, the summit’s president Correa do Lago said “roadmaps” on fossil fuels and forests would be published as there was no consensus on these issues.

The annual United Nations conference brings together world leaders, scientists, campaigners, and negotiators from across the globe, who agree on collective next steps for tackling climate change.

The two-week conference in the Amazon city of Belem was due to end at 6pm local time (9pm UK time) on Friday, but it dragged into overtime.

The standoff was between the EU, which pressed for language on transitioning away from fossil fuels, and the Arab Group of nations, including major oil exporter Saudi Arabia, which opposed it.

The impasse was resolved following all-night negotiations led by Brazil, negotiators said.

More on Cop30

The European Union’s climate commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, said on Saturday that the proposed accord was acceptable, even though the bloc would have liked more.

“We should support it because at least it is going in the right direction,” he said.

The Brazilian presidency scheduled a closing plenary session.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and about 80 countries, including the UK and coal-rich Colombia, had been pushing for a plan on how to “transition away from fossil fuels”.

This is a pledge all countries agreed to two years ago at COP28 – then did very little about since.

But scores of countries – including major oil and gas producers like Saudi Arabia and Russia – see this push as too prescriptive or a threat to their economies.

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Israel launches strikes on Gaza in further test of fragile ceasefire

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Israel launches strikes on Gaza in further test of fragile ceasefire

Israel says it has begun striking Hamas targets in Gaza, reportedly killing at least nine people, after what it called a “blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement”.

Local health authorities in Gaza said there had been three separate airstrikes, one hit a car in the densely populated Rimal neighbourhood, killing five people and wounding several others.

Shortly after the attack on the car, the Israeli air force hit two more targets in the central Gaza Strip, medics said.

They said at least four people died when two houses were struck in Deir Al-Balah city and Nuseirat camp.

The Israeli military said there had been a “blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement”.

It claimed a gunman had crossed into Israeli-held territory after exploiting “the humanitarian road in the area through which humanitarian aid enters southern Gaza”.

A Hamas official rejected the Israeli military’s allegations as baseless, calling them an “excuse to kill”, adding the Palestinian group was committed to the ceasefire agreement.

More on Gaza

The Israeli airstrikes are a further test of a fragile ceasefire with Hamas, which has held since 10 October following the two-year Gaza war.

Israel pulled back its troops, and the flow of aid into the territory has increased. But violence has not completely halted.

Palestinian health authorities say Israeli forces have killed 316 people in strikes on Gaza since the truce.

Meanwhile, Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire began and it has attacked scores of militants.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

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Europe scrambles for counter-proposal to US-Russian plan for Ukraine

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Europe scrambles for counter-proposal to US-Russian plan for Ukraine

The fast-moving developments on Trump’s Ukraine peace deal are dominating the G20 summit in South Africa, as European leaders scramble to put together a counter-proposal to the US-Russia 28-point plan and reinsert Ukraine into these discussions.

European countries are now working up proposals to put to President Trump ahead of his deadline of Thursday to agree a deal.

Ukraine is in a tight spot. It cannot reject Washington outright – it relies on US military support to continue this war – but neither can it accept the terms of a deal that is acutely favourable to Russia, requiring Ukraine to give up territory not even occupied by Moscow and reducing its army.

Overnight, the UK government has reiterated its position that any deal must deliver a “just and lasting peace”.

Ukraine war latest: Kyiv to discuss ending war in talks in Switzerland

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Keir Starmer calls for growth plan at G20

The prime minister, who spoke with E3 allies President Macron of France, Chancellor Merz of Germany and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine on the phone on Friday, is having more conversations today with key partners as they work out how to handle Trump and improve this deal for Ukraine.

One diplomatic source told me allies are being very careful not to criticise Trump or his approach for fear of exacerbating an already delicate situation.

Instead, the prime minister is directing his attacks at Russia.

Read more:
Trump’s 28-point Ukraine peace plan in full
Analysis: We could all pay if Europe doesn’t guarantee Ukraine’s security

Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends a plenary session on the first day of the G20 Leaders' Summit. Pic: Reuters
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Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends a plenary session on the first day of the G20 Leaders’ Summit. Pic: Reuters

“There is only one country around the G20 table that is not calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine and one country that is deploying a barrage of drones and missiles to destroy livelihoods and murder innocent civilians,” he said on Friday evening.

“Time and again, Russia pretends to be serious about peace, but its actions never live up to its words.”

Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

On the Trump plan, the prime minister said allies are meetin on Saturday “to discuss the current proposal on the table, and in support of Trump’s push for peace, look at how we can strengthen this plan for the next phase of negotiations”.

Strengthening the plan really means that they want to rebalance it towards Ukraine’s position and make it tougher on Russia.

“Ukraine has been ready to negotiate for months, while Russia has stalled and continued its murderous rampage. That is why we must all work together with both the US and Ukraine, to secure a just and lasting peace once and for all,” said the prime minister.

“We will continue to coordinate closely with Washington and Kyiv to achieve that. However, we cannot simply wait for peace.

“We must strain every sinew to secure it. We must cut off Putin’s finance flows by ending our reliance on Russian gas. It won’t be easy, but it’s the right thing to do.”

Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

Europeans hadn’t even seen this deal earlier in the week, in a sign that the US is cutting other allies out of negotiations – for now at least.

Starmer and other European leaders want to get to a position where Ukraine and Europe are at least at the table.

There is some discussion about whether European leaders such as Macron and Meloni might travel to Washington to speak to Trump early next week in order to persuade him of the European and Ukrainian perspective, as leaders did last August following the US-Russian summit in Alaska.

But Sky News understands there are no discussions about the PM travelling to Washington next week ahead of the budget.

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