Dubai: Hamas said Tuesday it will study US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza internally and with other Palestinian factions before issuing a response.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already expressed support for the plan, but it remains unclear whether Hamas will agree or when it will respond. The proposal calls for Hamas to surrender and disarm in exchange for an end to hostilities, humanitarian aid for Palestinians, and reconstruction in Gaza — a desperate hope for the population of the devastated territory, where the death toll in the Israel-Hamas conflict has surpassed 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israeli forces killed at least 31 Palestinians in Gaza on Tuesday, local hospitals reported.
While international support for the proposal grows, Trump told reporters Tuesday that Hamas has “three or four days” to respond. “Hamas is either going to be doing it or not,” Trump said at the White House. “And if it’s not, it’s going to be a very sad end.” He added there is “not much” room for Hamas to negotiate under the terms of the proposal unveiled Monday.
Qatari and Egyptian officials have presented the plan to Hamas negotiators, who are now reviewing it. Trump also stated that Israel would have the full backing of his administration to take action against Hamas if the group rejects the deal. When asked for details about what American support would entail, he declined specifics but expressed confidence that Israel could act decisively. “I would let them go do what they have to do,” he said. “They could do it pretty easily.”
Although the United Nations is not involved in Trump’s plan, it says it is ready to increase aid deliveries to Gaza whenever possible. Aid operations by UN agencies and partners have been largely limited in recent months as Israel has only allowed a separate organisation — the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) — to deliver assistance.
Trump’s plan proposes that aid deliveries proceed “without interference” from Israel or Hamas “through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent,” as well as other international institutions “not associated in any manner with either party.” Alessandra Vellucci, a UN Geneva spokesperson, said the organisation is in contact “with the various parties about the peace efforts ... we welcome all the mediation.” Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the 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.”
With PTI inputs