The Albany Gazette - Hamas reviewing Trump's Gaza plan

The plan calls for a ceasefire, release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, disarmament of Hamas and gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, followed by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself.

"Hamas has begun a series of consultations within its political and military leaderships, both inside Palestine and abroad," a Palestinian source said on condition of anonymity.

"The discussions could take several days due to the complexities."

Qatar, which hosts Hamas's exiled leadership, said the group had promised to study the proposal "responsibly", and also said it would hold a meeting on the plan with Hamas and Turkey later on Tuesday.

"It is still too early to speak about responses, but we are truly optimistic that this plan, as we said, is a comprehensive one," foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said.

On Monday in Washington, Trump described the announcement of the plan as a "beautiful day -- potentially one of the greatest days ever in civilisation".

The deal would demand Hamas militants fully disarm and be excluded from future roles in the government, but those who agreed to "peaceful co-existence" would be given amnesty.

It would also see a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, after nearly two years of war sparked by Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

But in a video statement posted on his Telegram channel after his joint press conference with Trump, Netanyahu said the military would stay in most of Gaza, and also said he did not agree to a Palestinian state during his talks in Washington.

"We will recover all our hostages, alive and well, while the (Israeli military) will remain in most of the Gaza Strip," he said.

Still, Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a member of Netanyahu's coalition government, blasted the plan as a "resounding diplomatic failure".

"In my estimation, it will also end in tears. Our children will be forced to fight in Gaza again," he said.

- 'Full backing' -

Trump's plan includes deployment of a "temporary international stabilisation force" -- and the creation of a transitional authority headed by Trump himself and including former British premier Tony Blair.

Blair, still widely hated in the Middle East for his role in the 2003 Iraq war, hailed the "bold and intelligent" plan.

During his press conference with Trump, Netanyahu cast doubt on whether the Palestinian Authority, which nominally runs Palestinian population centres in the occupied West Bank, would be allowed a role in Gaza's governance.

Trump noted that during their meeting Netanyahu had strongly opposed any Palestinian statehood -- something that the US plan leaves room for.

"I support your plan to end the war in Gaza which achieves our war aims," Netanyahu said.

"If Hamas rejects your plan, Mr President, or if they supposedly accept it and then basically do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself."

Trump said that Israel would have his "full backing" to do so if Hamas did not accept the deal.

Reaction was global, and swift. Key Arab and Muslim nations, including mediators Egypt and Qatar, hailed the agreement's "sincere efforts" in the wake of their own talks with Trump last week.

Washington's European allies promptly voiced support, with the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy sharing strong expressions of support for the plan, while China and Russia also voiced their backing.

- 'Unrealistic' -

But in Gaza, people were sceptical.

"It's clear that this plan is unrealistic", 39-year-old Ibrahim Joudeh told AFP from his shelter in the so-called humanitarian zone of Al-Mawasi in south Gaza.

"It's drafted with conditions that the US and Israel know Hamas will never accept. For us, that means the war and the suffering will continue," said the computer programmer, originally from the southern city of Rafah, devastated by a military offensive that began in May.

Israeli air strikes and shelling continued across Gaza on Tuesday, according to the territory's civil defence agency and witnesses.

The Israeli military said its forces were carrying out operations across the territory, particularly in Gaza City, where they have mounted a major offensive in recent weeks.

"Over the past day, the IAF (air force) struck more than 160 terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip, including terrorists, weapons storage facilities, observation posts, and terrorist infrastructure sites," the military said in a statement.

The Palestinian Authority welcomed Trump's "sincere and determined efforts."

Hamas ally Islamic Jihad, on the other hand, said the plan would fuel further aggression against Palestinians.

"Through this, Israel is attempting -- via the United States -- to impose what it could not achieve through war," the group said in a statement.

The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's offensive has reduced much of Gaza to rubble and killed 66,055 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.

burs/ser/kir

(P.Davis--TAG)