President Donald Trump has given Hamas until Sunday evening to agree to his proposed plan to end the war in Gaza, warning of unprecedented consequences if the group fails to sign on.
In a social media post on Friday, Trump said, “An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time. Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.”
Details of the proposal
Trump announced the 20-point plan earlier this week alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The proposal calls for the release of all hostages held by Hamas and rules out any future role for the group, designated a terrorist organisation by the US and the European Union, in Gaza.
In return, Israel would release nearly 2,000 prisoners and commit not to occupy or annex the territory.
Netanyahu has signed the agreement, and Trump has claimed support from several Middle Eastern allies. Hamas, however, has not yet responded.
Arab and Muslim leaders have been urging the group to accept the plan, citing the urgent need to end the fighting and address Gaza’s worsening humanitarian crisis.
Pressure on Hamas
On Tuesday, Trump said Hamas had “about three or four days” to decide.
If rejected, Israel has indicated it will continue its military offensive aimed at capturing Gaza City.
Hamas’ political leaders met this week with officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.
The delegation said it was carefully reviewing the plan, clarifying technical details, and consulting with other Palestinian factions before issuing a formal response.
In his latest warning, Trump urged “all innocent Palestinians” to leave areas of heavy fighting for safer zones, adding that Hamas fighters’ lives would be spared under the deal if all hostages, “INCLUDING THE BODIES OF THOSE THAT ARE DEAD, NOW!” were released.
IDF claims on fighting
The Israel Defense Forces said on Friday that Hamas was blocking civilians from evacuating Gaza City and other combat zones to the designated humanitarian zone in the south.
The IDF further accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields, saying that “several Hamas operatives were seen trying to use Palestinian children as human shields.”
The military said those operatives were later killed in drone strikes without civilian casualties.
According to the IDF, approximately 870,000 people have left Gaza City, out of about one million residents who lived there before Israel launched its offensive.
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