Tag: Israel-Gaza war

Trump and Netanyahu Agree New Gaza Peace Plan

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say they have agreed a new peace plan for Gaza, warning Hamas to accept it.

The plan proposes an immediate end to military operations, with Hamas releasing 20 living Israeli hostages and the remains of the more than two dozen hostages who are believed to be dead within 72 hours, in exchange for hundreds of detained Gazans.

A Palestinian source familiar with the ceasefire negotiations told the BBC that Hamas officials have been given the White House’s 20-point proposal.

It demands that Hamas will have no role in governing Gaza, and leaves the door open for an eventual Palestinian state.

Speaking at a news conference following talks at the White House, Trump called the plan “a historic day for peace”.

But he said that Netanyahu will have US backing to “finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas” if Hamas does not agree to the plan.

Netanyahu then said Israel “will finish the job” if Hamas rejects the plan or does not follow through.

The Palestinian Authority, which governs the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has called the US president’s efforts as “sincere and determined”.

In a statement published by its WAFA news agency, the authority said it “renews its joint commitment to work with the United States, regional states, and partners” to end the war on Gaza, ensure sufficient delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the release of hostages and prisoners.

At least 66,055 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 2023.

The proposal, if followed, would begin with the immediate cessation of military operations. It also says existing “battle lines” would be frozen in place until conditions are met for a staged withdrawal.

Under Trump’s plan, Hamas would lay down its arms and its tunnels and weapon production facilities would be destroyed.

For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 dead Gazans, the plan says.

The plan also stipulates that once both sides agree to the proposal “full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip”.

The US also outlines its plan for the future governance of Gaza.

It says a “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee” will govern temporarily “with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, called the Board of Peace, which will be headed” by Trump.

Former UK PM Sir Tony Blair will be part of the governing body alongside other leaders “to be announced”. Sir Tony called the plan “bold and intelligent”.

Blair wants to be on board that will oversee Gaza, Trump says

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the plan, saying, “We call on all sides to come together and to work with the US Administration to finalise this agreement and bring it into reality.

“Hamas should now agree to the plan and end the misery, by laying down their arms and releasing all remaining hostages,” Sir Keir added.

European Council President Antonio Costa said he was “encouraged by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s positive response” to the proposal. He added “all parties must seize this moment to give peace a genuine chance”.

French president Emmanuel Macron praised the proposal, saying: “France stands ready to contribute” to the efforts to end the war and release hostages.

“These elements must pave the way for in-depth discussions with all relevant partners to build a lasting peace in the region, based on the two-state solution,” said Macron.

The plan adds that Hamas must have no role in governance, “directly, indirectly, or in any form”.

Much of the plan is focused on what the US calls an “economic development plan” to rebuild Gaza. It also says “Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza” and its forces will withdraw from the territory in stages over time.

In a shift from Trump’s earlier statements, Palestinians will not be forced to leave Gaza. Instead, the document said: “We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.”

The plan also leaves the door open to an eventual Palestinian state.

A Palestinian source familiar with the ceasefire negotiations told the BBC “Qatari and Egyptian officials have handed over the White House plan to end the war in Gaza to Hamas officials in Doha”.

Earlier, a senior Hamas official told the BBC that the group remained open to studying any proposal that could end the war in Gaza, but stressed that any agreement must safeguard Palestinian interests, ensure a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and bring the war to an end.

Asked about the group’s weapons, the official said: “The weapons of the resistance are a red line as long as the occupation continues.

“The issue of arms can only be discussed within the framework of a political solution that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.”

The announcement of the plan comes just days after Netanyahu attacked the recognition of a Palestinian state by multiple Western countries during a combative speech at the UN General Assembly.

Netanyahu labelled the recognition moves a “mark of shame” that sent the message that “murdering Jews pays off”.

Dozens of officials and diplomats staged a walk-out as he took to the UN podium, leaving large parts of the conference hall empty.

While Trump has staunchly backed Netanyahu since returning to the White House for a second term, he has become increasingly frustrated with Israel’s moves in recent weeks.

Trump expressed annoyance at Israel’s recent strike on Hamas members in key US ally Qatar.

Before Monday’s news conference, Netanyahu called Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani of Qatar from the White House to express his deep regret that Israel’s missile strike unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 66,055 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

A UN-backed body recently confirmed that famine was taking place in Gaza City. Earlier this month, a UN commission of inquiry concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza – which Israel strongly rejects.

September 30, 2025
Obama Says There’s No ‘Military Rationale’ For Israel’s Offensive In Gaza

Former President Barack Obama on Friday criticized Israel’s ongoing military action in Gaza, saying that “there’s not a military rationale for continuing to pummel what is already rubble” and arguing for Palestinian statehood.

“I think that it is important for us to acknowledge those of us who are not direct parties to the violence to say, right now, children can’t starve. Right now, there’s not a military rationale for continuing to pummel what is already rubble,” Obama said at an event in Dublin, Ireland, according to a transcript released by his office.

He continued, “It is unacceptable to ignore the human crisis that is happening inside of Gaza, and it is necessary for us to insist that both sides have to find a path in which a Palestinian state and autonomy exist side by side with a secure Israel.”

The rare public comments from the former president on the war in Gaza come as world leaders are gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, a meeting roiled by the grinding conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out Friday at Western countries’ recent recognition of Palestinian statehood, accusing world leaders of “buckling under the pressure of a biased media, radical Islamist constituencies and antisemitic mobs.”

Obama criticized political leaders for failing to resolve hostilities and singled out Netanyahu, referencing his fraught relationship with the Israeli leader and commenting that “we did not always get along.”

“Unfortunately, oftentimes the leadership, the politicians have a vested interest in maintaining the notion that it is simply us and them, and it’s their fault because that helps keep them in power,” he said. “It’s a cynical game. I watched it throughout my presidency, and I was not always popular in that region because I would call them on it. I think it’s fair to say that me and the prime minister of Israel, who’s still there, were not the best of friends.”

The former president, however, added that “Hamas’s vicious approach to trying to solve a problem that puts all their people at risk is the height of cynicism that I reject as well.”

Israel launched its ground incursion into Gaza City earlier this month, after approving a plan in August to take over and occupy the heavily bombarded city, which it said is one of the last remaining Hamas strongholds.

The United Nations has warned that Israel’s plans to invade Gaza City would put about 1 million Palestinians who live there at risk of being forcibly displaced. The Israeli military told CNN Tuesday that 640,000 people have left the city since. It’s not possible to verify that estimate.

The Trump administration is also pressing for an end to the conflict. This week, US envoys proposed a 21-point peace plan to end the war in Gaza to Arab leaders.

And President Trump has signaled his own frustration with Netanyahu’s leadership. Speaking Thursday in the Oval Office, he said he will not allow Israel to annex the occupied West Bank, drawing a rare red line over Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territory.

“I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Nope, I will not allow it. It’s not going to happen,” the president said, acknowledging that he had spoken to Netanyahu earlier in the day on the topic. “It’s been enough. It’s time to stop now.”

September 28, 2025
UK To Recognize Palestinian State Unless Israel Meets Conditions

The UK will recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes “substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza”, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The PM said Israel must also meet other conditions, including agreeing to a ceasefire, committing to a long-term sustainable peace that delivers a two-state solution, and allowing the United Nations to restart the supply of aid, or the UK would take the step at September’s UN General Assembly.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move “rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism”.

The UK government has previously said recognition should come at a point when it can have maximum impact, as part of a peace process.

However, the PM has been under growing pressure – including from his own MPs – to act more quickly.

Last week France also announced it would officially recognise a Palestinian state in September – the first of the G7 group of the world’s richest countries to do so.

Giving a news conference after holding an emergency cabinet meeting, Sir Keir said he was announcing the plan now because of the “intolerable situation” in Gaza and concern that “the very possibility of a two-state solution is reducing”.

He told reporters that the UK’s goal of “a safe secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state” was “under pressure like never before”.

The PM added that his “primary aim” was to improve the situation on the ground in Gaza, including ensuring that aid gets in.

In outlining the steps UK wanted the Israeli government to take, Sir Keir also said it should make clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank.

The current Israeli government is opposed to progress towards a two-state solution so it is highly unlikely to agree to the conditions.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir said Hamas must immediately release all hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm and accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza.

In response to the announcement Netanyahu wrote on social media: “A jihadist state on Israel’s border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW.

“Appeasement towards jihadist terrorists always fails. It will fail you too. It will not happen.”

Asked if he knew the PM’s statement was coming, Donald Trump said the pair “never discussed it” during their meeting on Monday, when the US president was in Scotland.

He told reporters: “You could make the case… that you are rewarding Hamas if you do that. And I don’t think they should be rewarded.”

The US – along with many European nations – has said it would only recognise a Palestinian state as part of moves towards a long-term resolution to the conflict.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey welcomed the government’s announcement as “a crucial step” but urged the PM to recognise a Palestinian state immediately, and pursue “far greater action to stop the humanitarian disaster in Gaza”.

He added: “Rather than use recognition, which should have taken place many months ago, as a bargaining chip, the prime minister should be applying pressure on Israel by fully ceasing arms sales, and implementing sanctions against the Israeli cabinet.”

Some 255 MPs have signed a letter calling for the government to immediately recognise a Palestinian state – including more than half of Labour MPs.

Labour MP Sarah Champion, who coordinated the letter, said she was “delighted and relieved” at the announcement.

“This will put political pressure on Israel and make clear what’s happening in Gaza and the West Bank is totally unacceptable,” she said.

“However, I’m troubled our recognition appears conditional on Israel’s actions.

“Israel is the occupier, and recognition is about the self-determination of the Palestinian people. The two should be separate.”

The Conservatives and Reform UK have said now is not the right time to take the step, arguing this would reward Hamas for their attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said recognising a Palestinian state “won’t bring the hostages home, won’t end the war and won’t get aid into Gaza”.

“This is political posturing at its very worst,” she added.

The announcement comes after a call between Sir Keir and the leaders of France and Germany over the weekend, when Downing Street said plans for a sustainable route to a two-state solution were discussed.

However, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his government had no plans to recognise a Palestinian state in the near future, suggesting this may be “one of the last steps on a path to realising a two-state solution”.

Most countries – about 139 in all – formally recognise a Palestinian state.

Spain, Ireland and Norway took the step last year, hoping to exert diplomatic pressure to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.

Palestinian representatives currently have limited rights to participate in UN activity, and the territory is also recognised by various international organisations, including the Arab League.

Sceptics argue recognition is largely be a symbolic gesture unless questions over the leadership and extent of a Palestinian state are addressed first.

As Sir Keir made his announcement, Foreign Secretary David Lammy addressed a UN conference in New York, aimed at advancing a two-state solution to the conflict.

Lammy told reporters the UK had worked with Jordan to air-drop 20 tonnes of aid to Gaza in recent days, as he also called for aid trucks to be allowed to enter by land.

UN agencies have described the situation in Gaza as “man-made mass starvation”, blaming the humanitarian crisis on Israel, which controls the entry of all supplies to the territory.

Israel has insisted there are no restrictions on aid deliveries and that there is “no starvation”.

(BBC)

July 30, 2025
Israel Says It Will Open Routes To Allow Aid Convoys Into Gaza

Israel’s military says it will open humanitarian corridors to allow aid convoys into the Gaza Strip, after weeks of mounting international pressure and warnings of starvation.

In a statement on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also announced what it called a “local tactical pause in military activity” for humanitarian purposes in three areas.

It came after Israel said it made an airdrop of aid into Gaza of “seven packages of aid containing flour, sugar and canned food”.

There have been growing calls for Israel to let more aid into Gaza following months of limited supply to the territory’s two million people. Israel denied what it called “the false claim of deliberate starvation” in Gaza.

Palestinian officials are yet to comment on the plan for humanitarian corridors, or on the reported airdrop into Gaza.

The IDF said it would open humanitarian corridors for aid convoys in Gaza to allow the UN and other organisations to deliver food and medicine to Palestinians across the strip. The routes would be in place from 06:00 to 23:00 local time (04:00 BST to 21:00 BST).

The pause in military activity would take place in three areas – Al Mawasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City – from 10:00 to 20:00 local time (08:00 BST to 18:00 BST) each day until further notice, the IDF added.

The UN and other aid organisations are yet to comment on the IDF’s statement, but they, alongside some of Israel’s allies, have blamed the country for a growing food crisis in Gaza, and called for the unrestricted entry and delivery of aid.

The Hamas-run health ministry said dozens of people were dying from malnutrition. On Saturday it put the toll from the last few days at 125, including 85 children.

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described the food crisis in Gaza as “man-made mass starvation”.

The IDF said that responsibility for food distribution to the population in Gaza “lies with the UN and international aid organisations” and added they must “ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas”.

Earlier on Sunday, the IDF said an aid airdrop “was carried out in co-ordination with international organisations and led by Cogat”, referring to the Israeli military body which oversees the entry of aid into Gaza.

The military also posted a video purportedly showing a plane dropping the aid. The footage has not been independently verified.

Late on Saturday, the Israeli military also stated that it had resumed supplying power to a desalination plant in Gaza, which it said would “serve about 900,000 residents”.

Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza from the start of March, and resumed with new restrictions in May.

Along with the US, it backed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and allowed it to operate in Gaza.

There have been almost daily reports of Palestinians being killed while seeking aid since the GHF began operations in late May. Witnesses have told the BBC most have been shot by Israeli forces. Israel has said that its troops fire warning shots and has disputed reported death tolls. It accuses Hamas of instigating chaos near the aid points.

Israel’s apparent concessions followed its acceptance of a Jordanian and UAE plan, backed by the UK, to air drop aid into Gaza. Aid agencies however said such moves would do little to mitigate the hunger of Gazans.

The head of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency Unrwa, Philippe Lazzarini, said air drops were “expensive, inefficient, and can even kill starving civilians” if they did not go according to plan.

Lazzarini said his organisation had “the equivalent of 6,000 trucks” in Jordan and Egypt waiting to enter Gaza, and urged Israel “lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements and dignified access to people in need”.

The BBC spoke to several Gazans on Saturday who worried air drops could cause “serious harm”.

One man living in the north of the strip told BBC Arabic’s Middle East Daily that the process was “unsafe” and “caused numerous tragedies” when similar relief efforts were attempted last year.

“When aid is dropped from the air, it risks landing directly on tents, potentially causing serious harm, including injury or even death,” he said.

Meanwhile, Palestinians are battling dehydration along with starvation. One mother told the BBC she was “living with no food or drink, no food, no bread, not even water.”

Israel launched a war in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 59,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

(BBC)

July 27, 2025
France Will Recognise Palestinian State, Macron Says

France will officially recognise a Palestinian state in September, President Emmanuel Macron has said.

In a post on X, Macron said the formal announcement would be made at a session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“The urgent need today is for the war in Gaza to end and for the civilian population to be rescued. Peace is possible. We need an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and massive humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,” he wrote.

Palestinian officials welcomed Macron’s decision, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move “rewards terror” following Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack in Israel.

In his Thursday’s post on X, Macron wrote: “True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the State of Palestine.

“We must also guarantee the demilitarisation of Hamas, and secure and rebuild Gaza.

“Finally, we must build the State of Palestine, ensure its viability, and ensure that by accepting its demilitarisation and fully recognising Israel, it contributes to the security of all in the Middle East. There is no alternative.”

Macron also attached a letter to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirming his decision.

Reacting to Macron’s announcement, Abbas’ deputy Hussein al-Sheikh said “this position reflects France’s commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people’s rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state”, according to the AFP news agency.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu wrote in a post on X: “We strongly condemn President Macron’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state next to Tel Aviv in the wake of the 7 October massacre.

“A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel – not to live in peace beside it. Let’s be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel,” Netanyahu added.

Currently, the State of Palestine is recognised by more than 140 of the 193 member states of the UN.

A few European Union countries, including Spain, are among them.

But Israel’s main supporter, the US, and its allies including the UK have not recognised a Palestinian state.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the attack on southern Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 59,106 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s health ministry.

Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble since then.

Earlier on Thursday, the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency (Unrwa) said that one in five children in Gaza City was now malnourished and cases were increasing every day.

More than 100 international aid organisations and human rights groups have also warned of mass starvation in the Gaza Strip – pressing for governments to take action.

Israel, which controls the entry of all supplies into the Palestinian territory, has repeatedly said that there is no siege, blaming Hamas for any cases of malnutrition.

In a statement, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the “unspeakable and indefensible” humanitarian conditions in Gaza.

He said the situation had been “grave for some time” but it has “reached new depths”.

“We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe,” Sir Keir added.

July 25, 2025