A U.S.-sponsored ceasefire proposal for Gaza on Tuesday was hinging on Hamas's response to the 20-point plan which U.S. President Donald Trump has said was "beyond very close" to ending the two-year-old conflict in the region.
Mediators Qatar and Egypt shared the document with Hamas late on Monday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood alongside Trump at the White House and pledged his support for the proposal because he said it met Israel's war aims.
It was not clear what had allayed Netanyahu's earlier misgivings about elements of the proposal.
Hamas was not involved in the rounds of negotiations in the lead-up to Trump's plan, which calls on the Islamist militant group to disarm, a demand they have previously rejected.
A source close to Hamas told Reuters the plan was "completely biased to Israel" and imposed "impossible conditions" that aimed to eliminate the group.
However, an official briefed on the talks told Reuters early on Tuesday that Hamas negotiators "would review it in good faith and provide a response".
Hamas faces pressure from Muslim nations to accept
Trump warned Hamas that if it rejected his offer, Israel would have full U.S. support to take whatever action it deemed necessary.
The plan specifies an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of all hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and the introduction of a transitional government led by an international body.
Many elements of the 20 points have been included in numerous ceasefire deals proposed over the last two years, including those accepted and then subsequently rejected at various stages by both Israel and Hamas.
One of Hamas’s main conditions since the outset of the war has been a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in return for the release of the remaining hostages. And while the group has indicated its readiness to relinquish administrative authority, it has consistently ruled out disarming.
"What Trump has proposed is the full adoption of all Israeli conditions, which do not grant the Palestinian people or the residents of the Gaza Strip any legitimate rights," a Palestinian official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.
However, Hamas faces considerable pressure to accept the plan, with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Egypt all welcoming the initiative.
Turkey's head of intelligence will join Qatari and Egyptian mediators in Doha to discuss the peace proposal later on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Qatar's foreign ministry said. Turkey has not previously been involved as a key mediator during efforts over the last two years to bring peace to Gaza.
It was unclear if Hamas officials would join Tuesday's meeting. The last time Hamas leaders gathered to discuss a U.S. peace plan in Qatar, Israel tried, and failed, to kill them with a missile strike.
Netanyahu apologised on Monday to his Qatari counterpart for the 9th September attack, the White House said.
Although he initially backed the Trump plan, Netanyahu later expressed doubts about elements of the proposal, including the prospects for eventual Palestinian statehood, something he has repeatedly ruled out.
Netanyahu is under mounting pressure from a war-weary Israeli public to end the conflict. But he also risks the collapse of his governing coalition, if far-right ministers believe he has made too many concessions for a peace deal.
Israeli forces push further into Gaza city
In Gaza itself, some Palestinians hailed Trump's peace plan, saying it could end the bombardment and deaths, but they wondered whether it would end Israel's control of the city.
"We want the war to end, but we want the occupation army that killed tens of thousands of us to get out and leave us alone," said Salah Abu Amr, 60, a father of six from Gaza City.
"We hope the plan will end the war, but we are not sure it will, neither Trump nor Netanyahu can be trusted," he told Reuters via a chat app.
Israeli forces pushed deeper into Gaza City on Tuesday, reaching the centre of the territory, which Netanyahu has described as the last Hamas bastion.
Israeli planes also dropped new leaflets over the city ordering Palestinians to immediately leave and head south.
"The battle against Hamas is decisive and will not end until it is defeated," the leaflet said in red writing.
Baku is set to host its first international conference examining India’s policies towards ethnic and religious minorities, with a particular focus o...
Hamas is set to cede power in Gaza, as a U.S.-backed Palestinian committee prepares to take over the administration of the territory, Palestinian sour...
Four men convicted in Azerbaijan have been transferred to Armenia under a humanitarian framework, a step that officials describe as a concrete outcome...
Romania has reiterated its openness to discussions on a potential unification with neighbouring Republic of Moldova, following recent remarks by Moldo...
Over the past 24 hours, Türkiye has engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity, as regional tensions continue to mount amid fears of an imminent U.S....
Baku is set to host its first international conference examining India’s policies towards ethnic and religious minorities, with a particular focus on the Sikh community.
Hamas is set to cede power in Gaza, as a U.S.-backed Palestinian committee prepares to take over the administration of the territory, Palestinian sources reported.
Four men convicted in Azerbaijan have been transferred to Armenia under a humanitarian framework, a step that officials describe as a concrete outcome of the emerging peace between the two countries.
Kazakhstan has confirmed that two oil tankers linked to the transport of its crude were attacked in the Black Sea, underscoring the growing security risks surrounding the country’s primary export corridor.
Real Madrid have parted ways with coach Xabi Alonso, appointing former defender Álvaro Arbeloa as his replacement.
The U.S. has issued an urgent security notice calling all American citizens to leave Iran immediately, citing escalating protests, growing violence and widespread communication shutdowns across the country.
The United Nations’ top court at The Hague has begun hearings on whether Myanmar committed genocide against the Rohingya ethnic minority. Gambia told judges on Monday that Myanmar targeted minority Muslim Rohingya for destruction and made their lives a nightmare in a landmark case.
Apple will use Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) models for its revamped Siri voice assistant later this year, in a multi-year deal that strengthens the tech giants’ partnership and boosts Alphabet’s position in the race against OpenAI.
President Donald Trump said on Monday any country that does business with Iran will face a tariff rate of 25% on trade with the U.S., as Washington weighs a response to the situation in Iran which is seeing its biggest anti-government protests in years.
Romania has reiterated its openness to discussions on a potential unification with neighbouring Republic of Moldova, following recent remarks by Moldova’s president.
Over the past 24 hours, Türkiye has engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity, as regional tensions continue to mount amid fears of an imminent U.S. attack on Iran.
French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Wednesday (14 January) that any attempt to affect the sovereignty of Greenland, a European ally, would have serious consequences, amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to take control of the Arctic territory.
China is stepping up efforts to promote technology-enabled elderly care, aiming to improve the health, safety and overall wellbeing of its rapidly growing senior population.
The Trump administration has released a previously classified legal opinion on Tuesday, setting out its justification for the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and U.S. military operations carried out inside Venezuela.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment