GAZA/DOHA/JERUSALEM/ROME/ATHENS/UNITED NATIONS/TEHERAN - The Gaza ceasefire plan proposed by US President Donald Trump requires "substantial amendments," a source close to the movement said on Wednesday.
The source told Xinhua that Hamas' response is likely to depend on "substantial amendments and clarifications," particularly on issues of ending the war, Israeli withdrawal, and the future of resistance weapons.
Hamas has been discussing the US proposal internally and with allied Palestinian factions for two days. Most factions rejected the plan in statements on Tuesday.
According to the source, the plan was drafted "in close cooperation with Israel" and contains "some superficial positives," but also "serious risks that undermine the core of the Palestinian cause."
The source said Hamas demands clarity on a complete cessation of hostilities, with international guarantees to prevent renewed attacks, as well as a clear timetable for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
He stressed that disarming the resistance is considered an "existential issue" for the movement.
On the issue of Israeli captives held by Hamas, the source said any release must be linked to the withdrawal process "to prevent Israel from halting implementation after receiving its prisoners."
The source also noted that Gaza's reconstruction should be managed by a Palestinian body rather than an international council.
He added that the current draft is "fundamentally different" from the version Trump presented to Arab and Islamic leaders in Washington last month, saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had made "major changes."
"Hamas cannot reject the plan entirely," but will insist on clarifications and guarantees regarding ending the war and withdrawal, along with revisions to points related to governance and weapons, said the source.
Ramallah-based Palestinian political analyst Hani al-Masri, director of the Masarat Center for Policy Studies, warned that the US plan in its current form "carries serious risks."
"It grants Israel immediate and certain gains, while giving Palestinians only vague and delayed promises," al-Masri told Xinhua.
He said the proposal could serve as "a cover for prolonged occupation and turning Gaza into an international protectorate."
He added that the plan should only be approached "with conditional acceptance and guarantees," otherwise it would be "a recipe for new colonialism that eliminates the two-state solution."
ALSO READ: Hamas studying US proposal 'sincerely' as Gaza residents skeptical about its success
Security guarantees to Qatar
Also on Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order pledging to guarantee Qatar's security, saying that any armed attack on the Gulf state will be considered a threat to the peace and security of the United States.
The executive order, shared by the US Embassy in Qatar, highlights the long-standing cooperation between the two countries, noting that Qatar has hosted US forces, enabled critical security operations, and acted as a steadfast ally in the pursuit of peace, stability and prosperity, including by mediating to help resolve regional and global conflicts.
Trump said in the order that it is the policy of the United States to ensure the security and territorial integrity of Qatar against external aggression, and that Washington would take "all lawful and appropriate measures -- including diplomatic, economic and, if necessary, military -- to defend the interests of the United States and the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability."
The order came two days after Netanyahu, during a visit to the White House, apologized to Qatar for a recent airstrike in Doha. According to a statement from Qatar's Foreign Ministry, Netanyahu expressed regret over the incident and pledged that such an event would not recur.
On Sept 9, Israel carried out airstrikes on Doha, claiming they targeted senior Hamas leaders based in the city. Hamas said its delegation was in Doha at the time to discuss a US-brokered ceasefire proposal. The strikes killed five Palestinians and one Qatari security officer, drawing widespread international condemnation.
Aid flotilla
Several vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) have been stopped in the Mediterranean Sea as they approached Gaza shores, and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port, according to a statement issued by the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Wednesday night.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in the statement that Israel has offered and continues to offer the flotilla a way to deliver any aid they might have to Gaza "peacefully."
"The flotilla refused because they are not interested in aid, but in provocation," the statement reads.
It added that the Israeli navy has reached out to the flotilla and asked them to change course. "Israel has informed the flotilla that it is approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful naval blockade," the ministry said.
According to the GSF, the international maritime initiative comprises about 50 civilian vessels and more than 500 volunteers from over 40 countries, aiming to challenge Israel's naval blockade on the Gaza Strip and deliver food and medical aid to Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
The flotilla set sail from ports of various countries since August, converging toward Gaza with the goal of opening a humanitarian corridor by sea. During the trip, the fleet has come under repeated attacks, including drone strikes and "intimidation attacks."
Italy and Greece on Wednesday urged Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of the GSF participants headed for Gaza and to allow consular protection measures.
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said late Wednesday that Israeli authorities had boarded the flotilla's vessels before 9 pm local time and detained the crew members.
He confirmed that the Italian government had instructed its embassies in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to provide assistance to all Italian citizens taken to Ashdod Port and facing deportation. Defense Minister Guido Crosetto characterized the operation as a "blockade," emphasizing the hope for a calm and rational process without issues.
Israel detained three Portuguese citizens after intercepting the GSF vessels, Portuguese authorities confirmed.
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has pledged that the government will provide "full consular support" to the detained citizens through the Portuguese embassy in Tel Aviv.
The Portuguese foreign ministry said that consular services at Portugal's Tel Aviv embassy have been in contact with Israeli authorities for several days, requesting that Portuguese citizens be treated "with dignity and without violence" and in "respect of their individual human rights."
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto voiced condemnation "in the strongest manner" as there were also Italian citizens on board. He added that he had authorized the "immediate intervention" of a navy unit, which is heading to the area for possible rescue operations.
France and Spain also expressed concern, urging Israel to ensure the safety of their citizens, guarantee their right to consular protection and allow their prompt return.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Thursday strongly condemned Israel's interception of international humanitarian aid vessels and the detention of their passengers.
He made the remarks in a statement hours after Israel confirmed on Wednesday that it had detained several ships from the GSF in the Mediterranean Sea earlier in the day and was transferring the passengers to an Israeli port.
Baghaei denounced Israel's "repeated attack on the GSF flotilla and detention of the supporters of the oppressed people of Gaza," while praising the humanitarian move by different countries' activists and public groups in support of the Palestinian people and their efforts to break the siege of the Gaza Strip.
He described Israel's attack on the convoy as a "clear violation of international rules and a terrorist action."
Fighting continues
Despite a Gaza peace proposal under consideration, fighting continues with deadly Israeli airstrikes and fresh Palestinian rocket fire aimed at Israel, said UN humanitarians on Wednesday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said scores of people were reportedly killed or injured in the latest attacks in Gaza.
Published reports said sirens were sounded in Israeli communities near Gaza.
OCHA said the Gaza health authorities reported that since the war erupted in October 2023, fatalities have topped 66,000 people.
"OCHA stresses once again that civilians must never be a target," said the office. "Under international humanitarian law, they must be protected."
The office noted the health authorities also reported that 177 people, including 36 children, have died from starvation and malnutrition since famine was confirmed in August.
The UN Population Fund said that more than 60 percent of pregnant women and new mothers are suffering from malnutrition.
Humanitarians continue to call for unimpeded and sustained access into and throughout Gaza to deliver critical supplies and services in sufficient quantities, including nutritious foods through the commercial sector, such as meat, vegetables and dairy products, to help meet people's needs, according to OCHA.
UNICEF warned that displaced children have been walking in fear and terror for several days amid bombardment, gunfire and dead bodies without food and water.
OCHA said that families in southern Gaza are squeezed into severely overcrowded makeshift tents along the coast. As winter approaches, tents are at risk of being flooded. In August, some families were affected by rising tides along the coast.
It added that humanitarians continue to provide services across Gaza as best as they can in the face of significant challenges.
Teams were able to collect vaccines and nutrition supplies from the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem border crossing and install a solar panel in Deir al-Balah. Tents, tarpaulins and bedsheets were allowed to enter the strip, although hundreds of thousands of people remain in desperate need of shelter, according to the office.
Siege around Gaza
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that the IDF is tightening the siege around Gaza City "on the way to defeating Hamas."
The military is "in these hours" completing the capture of the Netzarim Corridor, a military buffer zone in central Gaza aimed at isolating Gaza City and northern Gaza from the rest of the enclave, Katz said in a statement, adding that this will tighten the siege around Gaza City, and all those leaving from the south will be forced to pass through IDF checkpoints.
"This is the last chance for Gaza residents who are interested in moving south and leaving Hamas terrorists isolated in Gaza City itself in the face of IDF activity that continues at full strength," he warned. "Those who remain in Gaza will be terrorists and supporters of terror."
Earlier in the day, the IDF said it had launched an extensive ground operation in Gaza City, and had killed several militants "posing an immediate threat" in northern Gaza, apart from targeting multiple military structures and infrastructure facilities in the area.
Meanwhile, Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraee announced on social media platform X earlier in the day that Al-Rasheed coastal road, the main route linking southern and northern Gaza, would be closed from noon, allowing only southward movement for those still in Gaza City.
Palestine's official news agency WAFA reported that 23 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire and shelling across Gaza on Wednesday morning, whereas Gaza-based health authorities said Israel's military campaign has killed 66,148 Palestinians and injured 168,716 others since Oct. 7, 2023.
In a separate development, Israel's national emergency service Magen David Adom and the IDF said two rockets were launched Wednesday from northern Gaza towards southern Israel and then intercepted by the Israeli air defense, with no casualties reported.
Following the launch, air defense sirens were activated in three Israeli villages near the Gaza border, sending local residents to shelters.
