Trump unveils Israeli withdrawal map; Hamas approval key to starting prisoner-swap deal

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday evening unveiled a new map he said represents the initial withdrawal line that Israel has agreed to under his plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip.

In a post on his platform “Truth Social”, Trump said “Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line we presented, and Hamas has been briefed on it,” adding that “when Hamas agrees to it, the ceasefire will take effect immediately.”

Trump added that the next phase will include beginning a prisoner exchange and preparing the conditions “for a gradual withdrawal that will bring us closer to ending this catastrophe that lasted three thousand years,” he said.

Egypt is due to host a new round of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas on Monday to finalize the plan’s details and end the war on the Strip.

The plan, which has been endorsed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for a ceasefire, the release of all hostages within 72 hours, the disarmament of Hamas, and a phased withdrawal of the Israeli military from Gaza, to be followed by the formation of a transitional authority headed by Trump.

The map Trump revealed last night shows more detail than the version published a week earlier: it keeps Rafah and the Philadelphi area under Israeli control, and lists Beit Hanoun in the northern Strip among the areas that will remain under occupation control in the first phase of the withdrawal.

Trump said this is only an initial withdrawal, and his 20-point plan envisages a gradual transfer of control over the territory to an international Arab-Islamic force that will be responsible for guaranteeing the Strip’s disarmament, while the Israeli army retains a security perimeter along the Gaza border and the Philadelphi crossing until any security threat is eliminated.