At least 36 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local hospitals reported, as questions arose about US President Donald Trump’s peace plan that could potentially pause the nearly two-year war in Gaza.
Hamas announced it would review the proposal with its members and other Palestinian factions before reaching a decision. Comments from Qatar, a key mediator, appeared to reflect discontent among Arab countries over the text of the 20-point plan released by the White House. The plan was announced on Monday after Mr. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they had agreed on it.
Three Arab officials told The Associated Press that changes had been made to the original proposal, which Arab and Muslim countries had worked out with Mr. Trump. These changes reportedly favored Israel. The officials—representing regional powers involved in the talks—spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss behind-the-scenes diplomacy.
The extent of the Arab countries’ dissatisfaction was unclear, though they have continued to express broad support for the plan. However, Qatar’s comments suggested they might seek further negotiations on some of its terms. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump told reporters on Tuesday that Hamas has three or four days to respond.
Arab mediators and Turkish officials are scheduled to meet with Hamas representatives in Doha on Tuesday to discuss the plan, said Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari.
The proposal offers an end to the fighting in Gaza, guarantees the flow of humanitarian aid, and promises reconstruction efforts. However, the Palestinian militant group would be required to disarm, and Gaza—with its more than two million Palestinians—would be placed under international control for the foreseeable future.
Mr. Netanyahu supports the plan, and several Arab leaders have applauded it. But many Palestinians in the war-torn coastal enclave remain wary. “They want to impose their own peace,” Umm Mohammed, a history teacher who sheltered with her family in Gaza City, told the Associated Press. “In fact, this is not a peace plan. It’s a surrender plan. It returns us to times of colonialism.”
Meanwhile, Israelis visiting a memorial for the music festival where 364 people were killed during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, expressed skepticism that the proposal could pause the war. Amit Zander, whose daughter Noa Zander was killed at the festival, noted that Mr. Trump was the only figure with enough power to make a deal happen.
“Everyone pins their hopes on (Trump). It’s up to Hamas. Israel wants it, and beyond that, it’s no longer in our hands,” he said.
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On Tuesday morning, at least 36 Palestinians were killed, according to local hospitals.
In Netzarim, the Israeli-controlled corridor dividing northern and southern Gaza, 17 Palestinians were killed and 33 wounded while attempting to access humanitarian aid, al-Awda hospital reported.
Separately, at least two Israeli strikes on tents in the region of Muwasi—previously deemed a safe zone by the Israeli military—killed 10 people. Among them, seven individuals who had fled Gaza City earlier this month to escape Israel’s widening offensive were killed near Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, according to Al Aqsa hospital.
The remaining three victims were members of the same family—a man, his seven-month pregnant wife, and their child—killed when an airstrike hit their tent west of Khan Younis, Nasser Hospital confirmed.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the shootings or strikes but stated its troops had killed several armed militants and struck more than 160 targets of Hamas infrastructure in the past 24 hours, including weapons storage facilities and observation posts.
Hamas is believed to be holding 48 hostages, 20 of whom Israel believes are still alive. The militant group has previously demanded that Israel agree to end the war and withdraw from all of Gaza as part of any permanent ceasefire.
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Gaza’s health ministry reported in its daily update that the death toll has surpassed 66,000, with nearly 170,000 wounded since the war began. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run administration, does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its toll but has said that women and children make up about half of the dead. The United Nations and many independent experts consider these figures a reliable estimate.
Israel accuses Hamas of hiding its military infrastructure within civilian areas. Israeli offensives have destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displacing approximately 90% of the population amid a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Experts warn that Gaza City is experiencing famine.
An Israeli airstrike in Gaza also killed a freelance journalist working for the Turkish broadcast outlet TRT. Yahya Barzaq was killed in the besieged Palestinian enclave on Tuesday, the broadcaster said on its Instagram account.
https://www.breakingnews.ie/world/at-least-36-palestinians-killed-as-hamas-ponders-trump-peace-plan-1812990.html