White House considers extension of Abraham Accords after Israel-Hamas ceasefire

Now that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire and hostage deal, the White House is focused on its next diplomatic goal: expanding the historic Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states.

“There’s a lot of positive momentum that’s going to accelerate,” a senior administration official told reporters Thursday evening after the deal was signed. “Hopefully this will lead to a much better feeling and opportunity to expand the Abraham Accords – to really change the tone in the region.” »

Under President Donald Trump’s first administration, the agreements allowed the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco to establish normal relations with Israel. Saudi Arabia was next on the list.

“We have communicated to the Biden administration that the Saudis are prepared to leave if they commit,” the official said. “A deal could have been reached in six months. We set the parameters of their interests and wished them luck. But they didn’t focus on that for a few years. Then a lot happened in the region – October 7 and the war in Gaza created a dark cloud and changed the sentiment. The mood today is certainly better than it was a few days ago.”

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Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan pictured during the signing of the 2020 Abraham Accords. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

One official highlighted a series of countries that could be next on the path to normalization. “I think there are many opportunities to get back to work on normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel and between Indonesia and Israel,” the official said. “We spoke with Mauritania last time. There is Algeria, Syria, Lebanon. There are a whole series of countries, and now there are more formal relations with Qatar. We will start this trilateral mechanism very soon.”

Israel began reducing its military presence in Gaza on Friday as part of the first phase of the deal, but will continue to occupy around 53% of the territory until the next phase. Hamas has 72 hours to free the remaining hostages, alive and dead.

About 200 American troops already stationed in the Middle East will be sent to Israel to oversee the ceasefire and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that “up to 200 U.S. personnel, already stationed at CENTCOM, will be tasked with monitoring the peace agreement in Israel and will work with other international forces on the ground.”

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Palestinians gather to celebrate the announcement of a ceasefire agreement set to take effect in the Gaza Strip on October 9, 2025, in Khan Yunis, Gaza. (Doaa Albaz/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia has long insisted that normalization with Israel must be linked to tangible progress toward a Palestinian state – although this condition has never been clearly defined. The kingdom is also seeking a formal U.S. defense guarantee as part of a broader regional deal.

The 20-point ceasefire proposal, brokered by the United States, does not guarantee a Palestinian state, but suggests that as the reconstruction of Gaza progresses and the Palestinian Authority reasserts its control over the enclave, “conditions may finally be met for a credible path to self-determination and a Palestinian state, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people.”

An administration official acknowledged that the agreement remains fragile and that deep mistrust persists between Israel, Hamas and other Arab governments.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire and hostage exchange. (Reuters/Hatem Khaled/File photo)

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“It was important for (Trump) to send another message to the Arab mediators – and through them to Hamas,” the official said. “He wanted them to know that he supported every principle and aspect of Trump’s 20-point peace plan, ensuring that everyone involved would act in good faith and follow through on their commitments.”

“There is a lot of distrust between Israelis and Hamas, as well as between some other Arab governments,” the official added. “For all the obvious reasons.”