U.S. Special Representative Stephen Whitcoff, on behalf of Donald Trump, announced the beginning of the second phase of the peace plan to end military actions in Gaza.
At this stage, Trump proposes the establishment of a transitional administration, as well as the initiation of the demilitarization process and the restoration of infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, as noted by Whitcoff on social media platform X.
According to him, the U.S. expects Hamas to fulfill all its obligations under the agreement, including the return of the body of the last Israeli hostage. Whitcoff warned that failure to meet these demands would lead to serious consequences.
In October 2025, a ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas, under which a peace plan proposed by the Trump administration was adopted. In the first phase of this plan, Hamas committed to returning all Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
As previously reported by sources from The Times of Israel and The Wall Street Journal, the Israel Defense Forces have developed new plans for a ground operation in areas controlled by Hamas in Gaza.
This operation was reportedly scheduled to take place in March 2026; however, its implementation depends on U.S. support, which continues to seek the disarmament of Hamas as part of Trump's peace plan. Sources also reported that Hamas is refusing disarmament and is focused on restoring its military capabilities.
