President Donald Trump said Hamas has "about three or four days" to respond to his peace plan to end the Israel-Hamas war, warning "it's going to be a very sad end" if they reject the deal.

Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the peace plan during a White House event on Sept. 29.

The two leaders pitched the announcement as a major breakthrough in a conflict that has seen previous ceasefires fall through and regional tensions skyrocket as Israel continues a punishing campaign that has provoked international outrage over the civilian death toll and humanitarian conditions in Gaza.

"We’re just waiting for Hamas, and Hamas is either going to be doing it or not, and if it’s not, it’s going to be a very sad end,” Trump said on Sept. 30 at the White House.

The president added there is "not much" room to negotiate.

Hamas said on Sept. 29 that it hadn't received the plan.

Under Trump's proposal, the war would end and Hamas would release within 72 hours all of the remaining hostages in Gaza who were taken nearly two years ago during a terror attack on Israel.

Gaza would also be redeveloped, with the option for Palestinians who want to remain in the country to stay. Hamas fighters would get amnesty and the territory would come under temporary governance by a new, Palestinian committee that would be overseen by a "Board of Peace." Trump would personally chair the panel, alongside other foreign leaders, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

If Hamas rejects the deal, Trump said Israel would have "our full backing" to continue military operations in Gaza.

Trump presented the plan to Arab leaders last week in private, ramping up pressure on an increasingly isolated Israel to end the war that began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 and taking 251 hostages.

Since then, Israel has leveled large swaths of Gaza. An estimated 66,000 Palestinians have died, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The dire conditions in Gaza have sparked international backlash, prompting multiple Western countries to recognize a Palestinian state in defiance of the United States and Israel.

Contributing: Francesca Chambers

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says Hamas has 'three or four days' to respond to Gaza peace plan

Reporting by Zac Anderson, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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