WASHINGTON (AP) —Hamas said Tuesday it will discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza within the group and with other Palestinian factions before responding. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already thrown his support behind it but it’s unclear whether Hamas will agree and when it would give its response.
The proposal demands that Hamas effectively surrender and disarm in return for an end to fighting, humanitarian aid for Palestinians and the promise of reconstruction in Gaza — all desperately hoped for by the population in the devastated territory where the death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has topped 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, backing and support were pouring in for the proposal from the international community. Trump and Netanyahu said after talks Monday in the White House that they had agreed on the plan.
Here's the latest:
Israeli foreign minister says it's now up to Hamas
Gideon Saar said that his country has accepted Trump’s "plan for ending the war in Gaza and for a better future" that it is now up to Hamas to announce its position.
“We will now see if Hamas accepts the president’s plan,” Saar said during a visit to Belgrade, Serbia’s capital.
He accused Hamas of trying in the past to change the terms or avoid implementing any past agreements. “We will see," he said.
“We want to see our hostages come home after two years … Alive and dead,” Saar said. “We also want to see a different Gaza: deradicalized, demilitarized and no longer posing a threat to Israel and its citizens.”
Serbia’s Foreign Minister Marko Djuric said Belgrade also backs the peace proposal and demands the release of the hostages held in Gaza, one of whom holds dual Israeli-Serbian citizenship.
The Kremlin says Russia hopes Trump's plan for Gaza succeeds
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a call with reporters that Russia welcomes Trump's efforts aimed at "ending the ongoing tragedy” and that Moscow officials "certainly wish that this plan is implemented and helps achieve peace in the Middle East.”
Peskov noted that Russia has maintained contacts with all parties to the conflict and stands ready to take efforts to help the settlement if asked to do so.
The UN, though not involved in Trump's plan, says it's ready to step up Gaza aid
The United Nations says it's prepared to increase aid deliveries into Gaza whenever possible. Deliveries by U.N. agencies and its partners have been largely limited in recent months as Israel has allowed a separate organization — the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — to ferry in aid.
Trump's plan says that aid entries will proceed “without interference” by Israel or Hamas “through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent” in addition to other international institutions “not associated in any manner with either party.”
Alessandra Vellucci, a U.N. Geneva spokesperson, said the world body is in contact “with the various parties about the peace efforts ... we welcome all the mediation.”
Jens Laerke, a spokesman for U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said the U.N. stands "ready and prepared and capable to increase aid deliveries inside Gaza, whenever the opportunity is such that we are allowed to do so and the ... safety and security of doing so is there indeed.”
China reiterates its support for a 2-state solution
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing calls “on all relevant parties” to “immediately achieve a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza, release all detainees and alleviate the humanitarian disaster in the region as soon as possible.”
China supports a two-state solution and is willing to work with the international community for a “comprehensive, just, and lasting resolution of the Palestinian issue,” Guo added.
Germany's chancellor says Trump's plan is ‘best chance for ending the war’
Chancellor Friedrich Merz thanked Trump for his “persistent efforts” and Arab and Muslim countries in the Middle East for their “influence” with Hamas. He said Germany remained in close contact with its European neighbors and the United States on the issue.
Merz's came shortly after Merz on Tuesday hosted relatives of German hostages of Hamas. During the meeting, he said the suffering of the hostages “must end now,” and called on Hamas to release all hostages, according to the statement.
Spain says a 2-state solution is the ‘only possible one’ for Israel and the Palestinians
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez welcomed the U.S. peace proposal and said a two-state solution was “the only possible one” for the Middle East.
“It is time for the violence to cease, for the immediate release of all the hostages to take place, and for humanitarian aid to be provided to the civilian population,” Sánchez wrote on X.
Spain has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, with Sánchez earlier this month calling Israel’s conduct a genocide.
Turkey ready to help the Gaza flotilla with humanitarian needs
Turkey’s defense ministry says it's closely monitoring the eastern Mediterranean and that its ships in the region are prepared to assist “humanitarian missions if needed” — a reference to the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla seeking to break the Israeli blockade of the territory.
A day earlier, Turkish navy helped evacuate activists on board Johnny M, one of the flotilla vessels — after it began taking in water in an area off the coast of Crete, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Meanwhile, at least three activists working with the flotilla from Egypt were arrested in Cairo, the flotilla committee said. It's unclear where they are being detained.
Some of the activists in Egypt plan to join the group of more than 50 small vessels carrying activists from dozens of countries attempting to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza.
The flotilla includes 52 mostly small vessels carrying activists from dozens of countries and a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid, mainly food and medicine, for Palestinians in Gaza.
‘Hamas has no choice’ but to release hostages and accept the peace plan, Macron says
French President Emmanuel Macron says he welcomes Trump’s “commitment to ending the war in Gaza and securing the release of all hostages.”
“I expect Israel to engage resolutely on this basis. Hamas has no choice but to immediately release all hostages and follow this plan,” Macron posted on X.
“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,” he wrote. “France stands ready to contribute. It will remain vigilant regarding the commitments of each party.”