Trump issues a Gaza agreement ultimatum to Hamas.
As the terrorist organization examined the Israeli-backed plan to halt the war in Gaza, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday granted Hamas “three or four days” to reply.
The plan asks for a truce, the disarmament of Hamas, the gradual withdrawal of Israel from Gaza, the release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, and the establishment of a transitional authority led by Trump himself after the battle.
The idea was supported by Arab and Muslim countries as well as other world powers, but Hamas had not yet responded.
When questioned about a timeline, Trump responded, “We’re going to do about three or four days,” to reporters.
Later, he threatened to punish the militants severely if they didn’t comply.
Trump told US generals and admirals assembled at a military station in Quantico, Virginia, “We have one signature that we need, and that signature will pay in hell if they don’t sign.”
Following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump made his plan public at the White House on Monday.
According to a Palestinian source who spoke on condition of anonymity, Hamas has started discussing the plan “within its political and military leaderships, both inside Palestine and abroad” on Tuesday.
“The discussions could take several days due to the complexities,” stated a source.
Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for the foreign ministry, stated, “We are genuinely hopeful that this plan, as we stated, is a comprehensive one, but it is still too early to speak about responses.”
Hamas fighters who agree to “peaceful co-existence” would be granted amnesty, but the agreement requires that they completely disarm and be barred from any future positions in the government.
In addition, Israel would gradually leave Gaza following almost two years of conflict that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel.
Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, urged “all parties” to pledge to “an agreement and its implementation”.
His demand for a “immediate and permanent ceasefire” was again restated, according to a spokesperson.
“END IN TEARS”
However, Netanyahu stated in a video address released following the joint news conference with Trump that he did not accept a Palestinian state during his discussions in Washington and that the military will remain in the majority of Gaza.
“We will recover all our hostages, alive and well, while the (Israeli military) will remain in most of the Gaza Strip,” he stated.
The initiative was criticized as a “resounding diplomatic failure” by Netanyahu’s coalition cabinet member and far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
“I think there will be tears in the end as well. “Our kids will have to fight in Gaza once more,” he declared.
Trump’s plan calls for the establishment of a transitional authority led by him and comprising former British Premier Tony Blair, as well as the deployment of a “temporary international stabilization force.”
Netanyahu questioned whether the Palestinian Authority, which ostensibly manages Palestinian population centers in the occupied West Bank, will be permitted to have a say in Gaza’s governance during his news conference with Trump.
During their conversation, Trump pointed out that Netanyahu was adamantly against any Palestinian statehood, something that the US proposal allows for.
“I support your plan to end the war in Gaza which achieves our war aims,” Netanyahu stated.
“If Hamas rejects your plan, Mr President, or if they supposedly accept it and then basically do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself.”
Trump declared that if Hamas rejected the agreement, Israel would have his “full backing” to do so.
The agreement’s “sincere efforts” were praised by important Arab and Muslim countries, notably mediators Egypt and Qatar, following their own discussions with Trump last week.
Strong statements of support were made by Washington’s European allies, including China and Russia, as well as by Britain, France, Germany, and Italy.
“UNREALISTIC”
However, there was skepticism in Gaza.
Ibrahim Joudeh, 39, told AFP from his shelter in the southern Gaza region known as the humanitarian zone of Al-Mawasi, “It’s obvious that this plan is unrealistic.”
It is written with terms that Israel and the United States are aware Hamas will never agree to. 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.
Witnesses and the territory’s civil defense service reported that Israeli airstrikes and shelling persisted throughout Gaza on Tuesday.
According to the Israeli military, its troops were conducting operations throughout the region, with a focus on Gaza City.
The Palestinian Authority welcomed what it called Trump’s “sincere and determined efforts.”
But Hamas ally Islamic Jihad 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 organization stated.
The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s offensive has reduced much of Gaza to rubble and killed 66,097 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.