WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump issued a final warning to Hamas on Sunday, demanding the Palestinian militant group accept a deal to release hostages held in Gaza.
Trump declared that Israel had accepted his terms and warned Hamas about the consequences of rejecting the proposed agreement.
Hamas responded with a statement expressing readiness to immediately resume negotiations based on American ideas for a ceasefire agreement.
American news outlet Axios reported that White House envoy Steve Witkoff sent a new hostage and ceasefire proposal to Hamas last week.
The White House has not disclosed any details regarding the proposed agreement.
Trump previously issued a similar ultimatum to Hamas in early March, demanding the immediate release of all remaining hostages and the return of deceased hostages’ bodies.
Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum welcomed Trump’s latest intervention as a true breakthrough.
Hamas militants originally seized 251 hostages during their October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, with 47 still believed to be held in Gaza.
The Israeli military confirms that 25 of these hostages are dead and seeks the return of their remains.
Israel’s army bombed a Gaza City residential tower on Sunday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the military was deepening its assault on the urban center.
Witness Mohammed Al-Nazli described the strike on the Al-Roya tower as feeling like an earthquake.
The Israeli air force has leveled two other residential high-rises under claims that Hamas used them as observation points.
Netanyahu stated that approximately 100,000 residents had already left Gaza City while accusing Hamas of preventing evacuations and using civilians as human shields.
This escalation has raised concerns about further deterioration of already dire humanitarian conditions for Palestinians in the area.
Israeli protesters took to the streets on Saturday to call on their government to reverse the decision to seize Gaza City due to fears for hostage safety.
The October 7, 2023 attack resulted in 1,219 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 64,368 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Hamas-run Gaza health ministry figures that the United Nations considers reliable.
Media restrictions in Gaza and access difficulties prevent independent verification of casualty figures and operational details provided by either side. – AFP
