Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calling on neighboring nations to join in the Jewish state’s fight to expel Hamas out of the region.
‘Israel extends its hand in peace and prosperity to all of our neighbors and calls on them to normalize relations with Israel and join us in expelling Hamas and its supporters from the region,’ Netanyahu’s office wrote on X.
The statement follows the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) endorsement of President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. The council adopted the plan, which would end the war and deploy an international stabilization force, on Monday.
In an address to the council, Waltz described Gaza as ‘a hell on earth’ after two years of conflict, saying the resolution offered the world a chance to replace ‘rubble where schools once stood’ with ‘a path to peace.’ The measure passed 14–0, with two abstentions — including Russia — and was adopted.
‘Voting yes today isn’t just endorsing a plan,’ Waltz said. ‘It’s affirming our shared humanity. A vote against this resolution is a vote to return to war.’
Netanyahu’s office praised the UNSC for adopting the deal and added that Israel believes the ‘plan will lead to peace and prosperity because it insists upon full demilitarization, disarmament and the deradicalization of Gaza.’
Israel also called for the release of the remaining deceased hostages: Ron Gvili, Dror Or and Sudthisak Rinthalak.
In addition to inviting other nations to join in efforts to expel Hamas, Israel also expressed hope that the plan would lead to the expansion of the Abraham Accords, a set of agreements brokered under Trump’s first administration. Countries that have already signed agreements normalizing their relationships with Israel are the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
‘True to President Trump’s vision, this will lead to further integration of Israel and its neighbors as well as expansion of the Abraham Accords. President Trump’s breakthrough leadership will help lead the region to peace and prosperity and a lasting alliance with the United States,’ Netanyahu’s office added.
A senior Trump administration official said in October, as the peace deal was going into effect in Israel and Gaza, that the U.S. was looking at the end of the war as an opportunity to expand the agreements.
‘There’s a lot of positive momentum that will pick up,’ a senior administration official told reporters. ‘Hopefully this will lead to much better sentiment and the opportunity to expand the Abraham Accords — to really just change the tone in the region.’
Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.