 "Palestinians struggle to receive cooked food distributed at a community kitchen in the Muwasi area of Khan Younis, in the Gaza Strip. AP")
Israel has warned Hamas to accept the US-backed ceasefire proposal “or be annihilated”, hours after the Palestinian terror group said that the deal, submitted by President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, failed to meet its demands.
The Hamas murderers will now be forced to choose: accept the terms of the ‘Witkoff Deal’ for the release of the hostages – or be annihilated," the country’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said in a statement.
While Israel has accepted the proposal , which calls for the release of 10 living and 18 dead hostages and a 60-day-long ceasefire of fighting in Gaza, Hamas said that it is still reviewing the deal.
The proposal comes months after the two warring parties have been unable to reach a truce, forcing Gaza to enter a new level of humanitarian crisis as Israel blocked aid to the Palestinian region for months, pushing thousands into hunger.
Trump says Israel and Hamas ‘close’ to a deal
Meanwhile, Trump has said that he believes a Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is “very close”.
“They’re very close to an agreement on Gaza. We’ll let you know about it during the day or maybe tomorrow. And we have a chance of that,” the president said during a joint press conference with Elon Musk.
Humanitarian crisis in Gaza
The United Nations condemned Friday a group of “armed individuals” for raiding warehouses in the Palestinian territory of Gaza and looting large amounts of medical supplies.
The group “stormed the warehouses at a field hospital in Deir al-Balah, looting large quantities of medical equipment, supplies, medicines, nutritional supplements that was intended for malnourished children,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe stolen aid had been brought into war-ravaged Gaza just a day earlier, he said.
“As conditions on the ground further deteriorate and public order and safety breaks down, looting incidents continue to be reported,” he said.
With inputs from agencies