Donald Trump claims to have put forward a new ceasefire proposal to end the war in Gaza, with Israel allegedly agreeing to his terms. As the assault continues, Trump issues a “last warning” to Hamas in an attempt to bring an end to the ongoing conflict.
In a social media post, Trump warned Hamas to accept his conditions, saying that he informed the group about the “consequences” of turning down the offer.
Throughout the 20-month war, US officials have repeatedly claimed that Israel has accepted ceasefire efforts all while Israeli leaders vow publicly to intensify their offensive, which leading rights groups and scholars have described as a genocide.
“Everyone wants the Hostages HOME. Everyone wants this War to end!” Trump wrote in a social media post.
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“The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well. I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
It remains unclear what Trump’s terms entail.
But Trump has previously issued similar verbal warnings to Hamas and predicted that the war would end soon. On August 25, the US president said he thinks the war would come to a “conclusive ending” within three weeks.
Later on Sunday, Hamas confirmed receiving “ideas” from the US for ending the war.
“Hamas welcomes any initiative that helps in the efforts to stop the aggression against our people,” the group said.
“We affirm our immediate readiness to sit at the negotiation table to discuss the release of all prisoners in exchange for a clear declaration to end the war, the full withdrawal from Gaza, and the formation of a committee to manage Gaza from Palestinian independents, who will immediately begin their work.”
Hamas has been calling for a ceasefire deal that would see a prisoner exchange to release Israeli captives in Gaza and a lasting end to the Israeli offensive.
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The Palestinian group also said last month that it accepted a proposal presented by the mediators for a 60-day truce.
Trump’s statement comes as Israel steps up its campaign to capture Gaza City against the pleas of rights groups and Western officials.
The US president has been a staunch supporter of Israel. Last week, his administration imposed sanctions on Palestinian rights groups for cooperating with the International Criminal Court’s investigation into Israeli abuses.
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Trump also previously called for removing all Palestinians from Gaza and turning the enclave into a US-owned “Riviera of the Middle East” a plan that rights advocates decried as an ethnic cleansing push.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has embraced Trump’s mass displacement proposal, presenting the push to ethnically cleanse Gaza as an effort to allow Palestinians to voluntarily leave the territory.
But legal scholars say that people have no real choice when they are under the threat of constant Israeli bombardment.
The Israeli campaign has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians and levelled most of the territory to the ground.
