Trump, Netanyahu and Arab states agree deal in effort to end the Gaza war

He added that he had had meetings with "so many countries" to discuss the proposal, including leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and the UAE. 

Trump said that if Hamas accepted the deal, the remaining hostages would be released immediately or within 72 hours.

Speaking after Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu said: "I believe that today we are taking a critical step towards both ending the war in Gaza and setting the stage to dramatically advancing peace in the Middle East and beyond.

"I support your plan to end the war in Gaza… it will bring back to Israel all our hostages, dismantle Hamas' military capabilities and end its political rule - and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.

"All our hostages, both those who are alive and those who died all of them will return home immediately."

Trump said a “Board of Peace” would oversee the transitional period in Gaza, headed by himself, with the names of the other participating world leaders to be announced in the coming days.

Trump said: "One of the people that want to be on the board is the former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair."

Netanyahu said the plan was to initially withdraw troops "modestly" and then continue IDF withdrawal from Gaza at a rate "linked to the extent Gaza is the disarming".

He added: "If Hamas rejects the plan – or agrees and goes back on its word – then Israel will finish the job by itself. This could be done the easy way or it could be done the hard way but it will be done. We prefer the easy way but it has to be done."

Changes to Trump’s original 21-point plan included the extension of the hostage release deadline and the plan to bring an end to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

The end goal of the plan was to see the Palestinian Authority take control of Gaza, Trump said, providing it reforms.

"We are giving them responsibility for their destiny, free of terrorism, to earn their way to a brighter future. If the Palestinian Authority does not lay down my vision for peace, they only have themselves to blame," Trump said.

Speaking of the Abraham Accords and potentially joining countries, Trump said: "Maybe even Iran can get in there. I think they are going to be open to it. Iran will be a member of the Accords."

On the prospect of Hamas agreeing to the deal, Trump said: "Now it is time for Hamas to accept the terms of the plan we have put forward today.

"This is a different Hamas we are dealing with because... they're leadership has been killed three times over, so we are dealing with different people than we were."

Netanyahu had earlier called Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani to apologise for Israel’s recent air strike in Doha.

On the call, it was reported that Netanyahu expressed his "deep regret" over the strike which killed low-level Hamas members and a Qatari security official.

He further expressed his regret that in targeting Hamas, it violated Qatar's sovereignty and said Israel will not conduct such an attack in the future.

Netanyahu arrived in the US last week ahead of his Oval Office visit, delivering a fiery speech at the UN General Assembly in New York City in which he hit out at Western countries, including the UK ,for rewarding Hamas with recognition of a Palestinian state.

Over the weekend, it emerged that the Trump administration had compiled a 21-point plan aiming to end the Gaza war and secure the future of the Strip, an initiative that the president claimed was “under discussion” with Israel and Arab states.