"People in Gaza have reacted with shock after US President Donald Trump appeared to welcome Hamas's response to his peace plan for the territory. Hundreds of Palestinians flooded my social media accounts and messaging apps with questions like: "Has the war ended?" and "Is this a dream or reality?" The pace of developments overnight has left many struggling to grasp what comes next."
"The movement's carefully crafted statement - thought to have been drafted with the help of mediators - stopped short of outright rejection and instead offered a qualified "yes". Hamas accepted Trump's terms for the release of Israeli hostages and the idea of handing over the governance of Gaza to Palestinian technocrats - but did not give a clear response to many other elements of his 20-point proposal. It was, many Palestinians say, a calculated reply that put the ball back in Israel's court."
"Soon after it was published, Trump wrote on social media that he believed Hamas was ready for peace and called on Israel to stop the bombing of Gaza. Reactions among Palestinians in the territory ranged from hope to deep suspicion. Some fear Hamas has walked into a trap, and that Israel will reclaim its hostages only to resume the war. Others believe a historic opportunity has opened to end two years of conflict."
People in Gaza reacted with shock after US President Donald Trump appeared to welcome Hamas's response to his peace plan. Hundreds of Palestinians flooded social media and messaging apps asking if the war had ended or if the developments were real. Hamas issued a carefully crafted statement that stopped short of outright rejection and offered a qualified "yes". Hamas accepted Trump's terms for the release of Israeli hostages and the idea of handing governance of Gaza to Palestinian technocrats, but did not clearly respond to many other elements of the 20-point proposal. Opinions in Gaza ranged from hope and belief in a historic opportunity to deep suspicion and fears of a trap. Calls for patience emphasized that detailed rounds of talks remained necessary.
Read at www.bbc.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]