Gaza Strip: Hamas said Tuesday it will discuss US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza within the militant group and with other Palestinian factions before responding.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already thrown his support behind it, but it’s unclear whether Hamas will agree, or when it will give a response.
The proposal demands that Hamas effectively surrender and disarm in return for an end to fighting, humanitarian aid for Palestinians and the promise of reconstruction in Gaza — all desperately hoped for by the population of the devastated territory where the death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has topped 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Also ReadUN says US Gaza plan could boost aid deliveries
Israeli forces killed at least 31 Palestinians in Gaza on Tuesday, local hospitals said.
Meanwhile, as backing and support pour in for the proposal from the international community, Trump told reporters Tuesday that Hamas has “three or four days” to respond.
Here’s the latest:
Trump says Hamas has ‘3 or 4 days’ to respond to proposal
“Hamas is either going to be doing it or not,” US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House. “And if it’s not, it’s going to be a very sad end.”
The president added there was “not much” room for Hamas to negotiate under the terms of his latest peace proposal, which he unveiled Monday.
Qatari and Egyptian officials have presented the proposal to Hamas negotiators, who are now reviewing it.
Trump on Monday said Israel would have his administration’s “full backing” to destroy Hamas if the group does not agree to the deal. Asked on Tuesday what American support would amount to, the president declined to provide details but expressed confidence that Israel would be able to take decisive action.
“I would let them go do what they have to do,” Trump added. “They could do it pretty easily.”
The UN, though not involved in Trump’s plan, says it’s ready to step up Gaza aid
The United Nations says it’s prepared to increase aid deliveries into Gaza whenever possible. Deliveries by UN agencies and its partners have been largely limited in recent months as Israel has allowed a separate organisation — the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) — to ferry in aid.
Trump’s plan says that aid entries will proceed “without interference” by Israel or Hamas “through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent” in addition to other international institutions “not associated in any manner with either party.”
Alessandra Vellucci, a UN Geneva spokesperson, said the world body is in contact “with the various parties about the peace efforts … we welcome all the mediation.”
Jens Laerke, a spokesman for UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said the UN stands “ready and prepared and capable to increase aid deliveries inside Gaza, whenever the opportunity is such that we are allowed to do so and the … safety and security of doing so is there indeed.”
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