Muslim-majority states from the Gulf to Southeast Asia have cautiously lined up behind U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest plan to end the war in Gaza, issuing public statements of support while making clear their backing hinges on Hamas’s response, Israel’s behavior in the West Bank, and the promise of a two-state solution.
The plan, unveiled last week in Washington, lays out 20 points including a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, disarmament of Hamas, a major prisoner exchange, the return of hostages, and the creation of an internationally supervised transitional authority. Trump has given Hamas “three or four days” to respond.
Regional support – but with caveats
Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, the three countries with the most direct lines to Hamas, have urged the group to respond positively, according to officials briefed on the talks.
Leaders from all three capitals met Hamas representatives in Doha this week. Qatar’s prime minister called the U.S. proposal “the best available path to stop the war,” but stressed that elements “still need clarification and negotiation.”
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, Indonesia and Pakistan issued a joint statement welcoming Trump’s “sincere efforts” and voicing readiness to cooperate with Washington.
The statement highlighted conditions: no displacement of Palestinians, unrestricted humanitarian aid, a complete Israeli withdrawal, and eventual statehood.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank also endorsed the plan. PA officials said they were prepared to introduce governance reforms and hold elections to re-establish control in Gaza under an interim framework.
UAE pressures Israel, Saudis outline conditions
The UAE has privately and publicly pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the plan and warned that any annexation of West Bank territory would block normalization with Arab states. “Annexation would close the door to peace,” an Emirati diplomat said.
Saudi Arabia signaled conditional support, saying it was prepared to cooperate with Washington but only if the plan ensures humanitarian relief, prisoner exchanges and a path toward Palestinian sovereignty.
Jordan, Indonesia and Pakistan echoed those messages, lending the plan cross-regional Muslim legitimacy, at least on paper.
Hamas under pressure
Trump has set a short deadline, telling reporters in Washington that Hamas must give an answer “in three or four days.” Officials familiar with the talks said mediators expect Hamas to respond “generally positively,” but likely with reservations.
The sticking points remain familiar: Hamas has long rejected demands to disarm, to accept an international security presence, and to cede governing authority in Gaza. In exchange, the plan offers what mediators call unprecedented concessions—phased Israeli withdrawal, large-scale prisoner releases, and billions of dollars in reconstruction aid.
“Hamas is studying the plan in good faith,” one mediator said. “The question is whether they can accept conditions that go to the heart of their identity as an armed movement.”
Israel’s balancing act
Netanyahu has welcomed Trump’s framework as consistent with Israel’s war goals, but faces pressure at home. Families of hostages and senior military officials support a deal, while far-right members of his coalition reject any arrangement that could lead to Palestinian statehood.
Israel insists any final agreement must guarantee Gaza cannot again be used to launch attacks. The army has said its operations will continue until Hamas is dismantled, regardless of parallel negotiations.
Statements vs. commitments
Diplomats cautioned that Muslim states’ support remains mostly rhetorical. No government has yet pledged troops for an international peacekeeping force or committed specific sums for Gaza reconstruction.
“What you’re seeing is political cover, not hard commitments,” a European diplomat said. “Arab states are signaling to Washington and to Hamas that there is a consensus to move forward, but the details are still wide open.”
Next steps
If Hamas delivers even a conditional yes, negotiations will turn to sequencing: the mechanics of prisoner and hostage exchanges, timelines for Israeli withdrawal, rules for an international security force, and the shape of Gaza’s interim civil administration.
Without concrete pledges from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to bankroll reconstruction and from Egypt, Turkey and Qatar to pressure Hamas, analysts say the plan could stall like many before it.
For now, Muslim states are presenting a unified front, backing Trump’s push in principle while keeping their reservations clear. Whether that fragile consensus survives depends on Hamas’s reply in the coming days—and on Israel’s conduct in both Gaza and the West Bank.
