The Trump administration has proposed a 21-point Gaza peace plan that calls for all hostages held by Hamas to be released within 48 hours of an agreement and sets out a roadmap for Gaza once the war ends, according to a source familiar with the proposal.
Meanwhile, Israel’s assault in the enclave continues, with the military escalating its offensive in recent days and forcing many to flee Gaza City as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) pushes deeper into the urban area.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, however, vowed to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed.
The plan could be problematic for Netanyahu, given it recognizes aspirations for a Palestinian state – something firmly opposed by key members of his government.
See below for a summary, and you can read here for the background to the plan:
• The release of the hostages – about 20 of whom are thought to be still alive – would be in exchange for a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, according to the source.
• The plan would deny Hamas any future role in the governance of Gaza, the source said. Instead, it calls for two levels of interim governance in the territory – an overarching international body and a Palestinian committee.
• There is no timeline in the proposal for the international body to pass leadership of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which exercises nominal self-rule in parts of the occupied West Bank, and faces heavy restrictions by Israel.
• The plan does not indicate that the US would support the creation of a Palestinian state, but recognizes it as an aspiration of the Palestinians.
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