Donald Trump has set a Sunday 6 PM Washington DC deadline for Hamas to accept his Gaza peace plan, threatening "all hell will break out" if the militant group rejects the proposal. Egypt and Qatar are working intensively to convince Hamas to agree as the group remains internally divided on how to respond.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the time had come for Hamas to disarm, stating that Israel should be given no excuse to continue its offensive. "Let's not give any excuse for one party to use Hamas as a pretext for this mad daily killings of civilians," he said, referring to the October 2023 attack in which Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages.
Diplomatic pressure intensifies
Speaking in Paris, Abdelatty confirmed Egypt "is coordinating with our brothers in Qatar and with our colleagues in Turkey in order to convince Hamas to respond positively to this plan". He emphasised there was full agreement that "Hamas has no role in the day after" any peace settlement.
Trump warned on Tuesday that Hamas would "pay in hell" if they rejected the plan. The proposal requires Hamas to release all remaining 48 hostages within 72 hours and disarm completely, with nearly 2,000 Palestinians released from Israeli jails in exchange.
Only Metro reports the complete 20-point peace plan includes a detailed governance structure with a "Board of Peace" headed by Trump and Tony Blair overseeing implementation. An international force would replace Israeli troops under a transitional authority.
Hamas leadership remains split
Hamas military wing commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad has objected to the plan, viewing it as designed to eliminate Hamas regardless of whether they agree or not. The group lacks trust that Israel will honour the agreement, particularly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops would remain in most of Gaza.
Hamas sources suggest they may return the proposal with amendments regarding disarmament, troop presence and leadership guarantees. The BBC reports Hamas's military wing in Gaza opposes the plan while political leadership in Qatar remains more open to negotiations.
Most analysts agree the plan would effectively end Hamas's identity as an armed Palestinian resistance group while Israel would make few concessions.
Violence continues during negotiations
Israel killed 28 Palestinians on Friday during continued military operations across Gaza. Eleven died in Gaza City whilst the remainder were killed in southern areas, including three in al-Masawi - previously designated as a safe zone.
Israel issued its final evacuation order for Gaza City on Wednesday, with Defence Minister Israel Katz declaring anyone remaining would be considered a terrorist supporter. Hundreds of thousands remain trapped, many unable to afford the reported £750 journey south.
Humanitarian crisis deepens
"Many people are left to sleep along the roads until they can find shelter," said Sarah Davies from the International Committee of the Red Cross. The UN stated there was no safe place for fleeing civilians as southern "safe zones" had become "places of death".
"The notion of a safe zone in the south is farcical," said James Elder from Unicef. "Bombs are dropped from the sky with chilling predictability; schools, which had been designated as temporary shelters, are regularly reduced to rubble."
Al-Masawi has become one of the world's most densely populated places, struggling with nearly half a million displaced people from Gaza City. On Thursday, Israeli forces detained nurse Tasneem al-Hams whilst she travelled to work, according to Gaza's health ministry.
The war has killed at least 62,622 Palestinians and wounded approximately 170,000, according to Gaza health authorities.
Sources used: "The Guardian", "Metro", "BBC", "Mirror", "Daily Mail", "Sky News", "Express", "Daily Star" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
