Source close to Hamas says group examining Trump's Gaza plan

KHAN YUNIS, Palestinian Territories: A Palestinian source close to Hamas told AFP on Tuesday that the group is reviewing US President Donald Trump’s proposal for ending the Gaza war, which is backed by the Israeli prime minister.

“Hamas has begun a series of consultations within its political and military leaderships, both inside Palestine and abroad,” the source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.

“The discussions could take several days due to the complexities of communication among leadership members and movements, especially after the Israeli aggression in Doha,” the source added. Another Palestinian source also confirmed that Hamas was examining Trump’s plan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli military would stay in most of the territory after he gave the US president his backing.

The plan calls for a ceasefire, release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, disarmament of Hamas and gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, followed by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egypt’s intelligence chief Hassan Mahmoud Rashad “just met with Hamas negotiators and shared the 20-point plan. The Hamas negotiators said they would review it in good faith and provide a response,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In a video statement posted on his Telegram channel after his joint press conference with Trump, Netanyahu said the military would stay in most of Gaza, and also said he did not agree to a Palestinian state during his talks with Trump.

Key Arab and Muslim nations, including mediators Egypt and Qatar, hailed the agreement’s “sincere efforts” in the wake of their own talks with Trump last week.

Washington’s European allies promptly voiced support, with the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy sharing strong expressions of support for the plan.

‘Unrealistic’

But in Gaza, people expressed scepticism.

“It’s clear that this plan is unrealistic”, 39-year-old Ibrahim Joudeh told AFP from his shelter in the so-called humanitarian zone of Al-Mawasi in south Gaza.

“It’s drafted with conditions that the US and Israel know Hamas will never accept. For us, that means the war and the suffering will continue,” said the computer programmer, originally from the southern city of Rafah, devastated by a military offensive that began in May.

Israeli air strikes and shelling continued across Gaza on Tuesday, according to the territory’s civil defence agency and witnesses.

The Israeli military said its forces were carrying out operations across the territory, particularly in Gaza City, where they have mounted a major offensive in recent weeks.

The Palestinian Authority, which is based in the West Bank but could be set for a role in a post-war Gaza government, welcomed Trump’s “sincere and determined efforts.”

Hamas ally Islamic Jihad, on the other hand, said the plan would fuel further aggression against Palestinians.

“Through this, Israel is attempting — via the United States — to impose what it could not achieve through war,” the group said in a statement.