A private moment between US president Donald Trump and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu has been uncovered by an expert. Lip reader Jeremy Freeman told the Express that as the two world leaders met ahead of their news conference at the White House yesterday, Trump encouraged Netanyahu to help him forge a deal to end the destruction of Gaza.
”Very nice to see you”, Trump appeared to say. “Listen…we need to get this done, we are fully looking out for you. We need to get this deal done, OK?”
Trump has today issued a stark warning to Hamas, giving them “three or four days” to agree to his plans for Gaza, or face dire consequences.
He added that Israel’s leadership had already accepted his proposal, and a majority of Arab politicians were on board, so he was just “waiting for Hamas.”
In a thinly-veiled threat, the president added: “Hamas is either going to be doing it or not, and if it’s not, it’s going to be a very sad end.”
When asked by journalists if there was any room for Hamas negotiators to modify the deal, Trump replied: “Not much.”
United Nations secretary-general António Guterres has also endorsed Trump’s proposals, saying it was time for “all parties” to commit to the peace plan.
A spokesman for Mr Guterres said: “It is now crucial that all parties commit to an agreement and its implementation … he once again reiterates his call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.”
Despite widespread anger at Israel’s’ actions in Gaza, some militia groups within the territory are calling for the removal of Hamas.
Hossam al-Astal, the leader of one of the numerous independent paramilitary groups operating in the area of Khan Younis, the southern Gaza City, told The Guardian: “I’m sorry, I will work with the devil himself if it helps me to protect my city. [Hamas] must leave Gaza.”
Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, PM Keir Starmer said that he welcomed the “US initiative to bring peace” to the war-torn region.
“I strongly support efforts to end the fighting, release every hostage and urgently scale up aid into Gaza,” he said.
“All sides must now come together to bring this initiative into reality, because we must restart the hope of a two-state solution, a safe and secure Israel alongside the long promised Palestinian state, a state that this country now recognises.”
Trump’s plan reportedly calls for Hamas to be permanently disarmed and removed from any future political role in Gaza.
There are still 48 Israeli hostages unaccounted for within Gaza, although fewer than half are thought to still be alive. The new proposal calls for all of them to be returned within 72 hours of a ceasefire coming into effect.
In exchange, Israel is to release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including many serving life sentences.
Israeli military forces will then be required to withdraw to a buffer zone at the edge of Israeli territory, in order to allow desperately-needed humanitarian aid to be distributed to hundreds of thousands of famine-hit Palestinians.
