From the White House, Trump expressed optimism for a favorable outcome as negotiations progressed in Egypt.
“Peace for the Middle East, so it’s a beautiful phrase, and we hope it’s gonna come true, but it’s very close and they’re doing very well,” he said.
European and Arab foreign ministers are set to gather in Paris on Thursday to endorse Trump’s strategy and deliberate on Gaza’s future. This meeting will address the potential for an international stabilization force, the governance in Gaza post-conflict, the disarmament of Hamas, and the provision of humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts, as revealed by officials who spoke under the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the details.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar criticized the French plan, calling it “made behind Israel’s back during the delicate timing of negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh.”
Sa’ar said that he hopes the initiative won’t “undermine the critical negotiations for the release of hostages, as it already happened in the past.”
During a Hamas-led assault two years prior, militants infiltrated southern Israel, killing about 1200 people, primarily civilians, and capturing 251 individuals, most of whom have been released through ceasefires or other agreements.
An increasing number of experts, including those engaged by a UN agency, claim that Israel’s actions in Gaza equate to genocide, a charge Israel refutes. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, over 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, and nearly 170,000 have been injured.
The ministry, part of the Hamas-controlled government, does not differentiate between civilians and fighters but states roughly half of the casualties were women and children. Many independent analysts, alongside the United Nations, regard the ministry’s figures as the most accurate count of wartime fatalities.
Civilians flee in Rafah as Israel pushes ahead with its offensive
The ministry said Wednesday that the bodies of 10 people killed by Israeli strikes had been brought to local hospitals over the past 24 hours.
In the Gaza Strip, where much of the territory lies in ruins, Palestinians are desperate for a breakthrough. Thousands fleeing Israel’s latest ground offensive in northern Gaza and Gaza City have set up makeshift tents along the beach in the central part of the territory, sometimes using blankets for shelter.
“There is no food, nor good water, and blockage of crossings,” said Um Sulaiman Abu Afash, a displaced woman from Gaza City.
“Our kids sleep in the streets. We buy drinking water. Where do we go? There’s no mercy.”
Sara Rihan, a displaced woman from Jabaliya, said she was praying for an end to the war.
“I hope we return to our places and homes even if there are no homes,” she said.
“Our existence in our land is the biggest happiness for us.”
