ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq's foreign ministry on Wednesday welcomed a peace proposal by US President Donald Trump for Gaza, saying Baghdad hopes that the initiative puts an end to the suffering that Palestinians have endured since the breakout of the war.

The US president and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday announced their agreement on a 20-point peace plan for the Gaza Strip, soon entering its third year of Israeli military occupation.

The Trump-proposed plan was released after the pair held a joint press conference in Washington, with Trump saying that the initiative obtaining final approval from all parties is "beyond close."

"The Ministry commends the proposals included in the declaration related to stopping the war, rebuilding the Gaza Strip, and preventing the displacement of the Palestinian people, as well as emphasizing that the annexation of the West Bank will not be permitted," wrote the Iraqi foreign ministry in a statement.

The ministry further hoped that the proposal "will contribute to ending the suffering of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip," ensure that sufficient aid is delivered "without restrictions," and prevent attempts to displace the Palestinians.

The proposal has garnered widespread support from regional and international actors, including many Arab and Muslim-majority countries.

In a joint statement on Monday, shortly after the announcement of the framework, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Jordan, the UAE, Egypt, and Pakistan all welcomed the peace initiative.

The countries reiterated their readiness to “cooperate positively and constructively with the US and the relevant parties to complete the agreement and ensure its implementation, in a manner that guarantees peace, security, and stability for the peoples of the region.”

The Kurdistan Region's President Nechirvan Barzani on Tuesday also lauded the announcement. "I welcome President [Donald Trump]'s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict and commend his leadership," wrote Barzani on X.

The new proposal comes six months after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas broke down with an Israeli strike on March 18, with Netanyahu’s office citing "Hamas' repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators,” as the grounds for the attack.

The current plan would see an immediate ceasefire, the phased withdrawal of the Israeli military from the Strip, and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, before progressing into a longer-term security plan that involves the disarmament of the Palestinian militant group.

“This is the closest we've ever come to real peace,” the US president told reporters on Monday.

Netanyahu, for his part, expressed great enthusiasm for the proposal, lavishing praise on Trump and stressing that the plan "achieves our war aims."

A copy of the proposal published by the White House states as its fourth point: "Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned."

The plan awaits a response from Hamas, who are expected to accept not having "any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form" under the US initiative.

Trump on Tuesday said that Hamas has "three or four days" to accept the proposal, warning later in the day that the Palestinian militant group will "pay in hell" should they refuse the peace plan.

Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed over 66,000 people, most of whom are civilians, according to Gaza's health ministry, with growing international backlash, perhaps most salient in a torrent of recognition of Palestinian statehood by Western countries in recent times, placing pressure on Israel and its allies to bring a halt to the bloodshed.