Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday issued d a “last warning” to Hamas, insisting the Palestinian resistance group must accept a U.S.-backed hostage and ceasefire proposal that he claims Israel has already approved.
"We're working on a solution that may be very good," he said. He declined to give further details. "You'll be hearing about it pretty soon. We're trying to get it ended, get the hostages back."
"The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one!"
After returning from a short trip to New York on Sunday evening, Trump told reporters in the Washington area that he had been discussing the issue during the flight.
Hamas Response:
Hamas responded quickly, confirming it had received “ideas” from U.S. envoys through mediators and declaring its “immediate readiness” to negotiate. The group stressed, however, that any deal must include a permanent ceasefire, the full withdrawal of Israeli forces, and Palestinian control over postwar governance in Gaza.
According to reports in Israeli media, Trump’s proposal would require Hamas to release all remaining hostages on the first day of a truce in exchange for the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Negotiations to end the war would then proceed under Trump’s direct oversight.
Israeli officials have not formally confirmed their position, but leaks suggest Netanyahu’s government is “seriously considering” the terms.
Gaza Pays the Price.
While Trump spoke of an imminent breakthrough, the reality on the ground in Gaza told a different story. On Sunday, Israeli warplanes bombed yet another residential tower in Gaza City — the third in as many days — leveling it to rubble. Witnesses described the blasts as “like an earthquake.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to intensify the assault, boasting that the Israeli army is “deepening” its campaign in Gaza’s largest urban center. Around 100,000 residents have fled, though many are trapped by destroyed infrastructure, ongoing shelling, and Israel’s refusal to guarantee safe corridors.
Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas fighters stormed southern Israel and killed 1,219 people, Israel’s retaliation has killed at least 64,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to Gaza health authorities whose figures are cited as reliable by the United Nations. Entire neighborhoods have been erased, with hospitals, schools, and refugee camps repeatedly targeted. Human rights experts and genocide scholars warn that Israel’s campaign amounts to deliberate mass destruction of a civilian population.
