Hamas responded Friday to Donald Trump’s proposal for peace in Gaza, as the president gave a deadline of 6 p.m. ET Sunday to sign on to the plan he unveiled earlier this week.
Hamas said it will release all remaining hostages if Israel withdraws from Gaza and “proper field conditions are met.” More negotiations will need to take place to finalize the deal, which Trump unveiled Monday while hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces is continuing its operation to take control of Gaza City, the largest urban area in the Gaza Strip, despite international outcry over the deteriorated humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory.
Israel is facing significant diplomatic pressure abroad, with multiple Western nations recognizing Palestinian statehood — while also demanding that Hamas not be part of any future government — as world leaders gathered at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week.
Netanyahu said that Israel will not allow an independent Palestinian state to exist.
