Donald Trump has set a deadline for Hamas to accept a deal to end the devastating war in Gaza.
The US president warned that if the "last chance" agreement he has put on the table is not reached, "all hell will break out against Hamas." In a Truth Social post he said: "An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time. Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER."
The warning came days after the White House released Trump's plan to end the war, which would see Gaza governed by a transitional body called the "Board of Peace", headed by the Republican politician himself alongside other members including former British PM Tony Blair. Trump unveiled the proposal alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. Netanyahu said Israel agreed to the terms.
READ MORE: Israeli troops fight on in Gaza despite Donald Trump's looming ceasefire deal

But as the deadline for Hamas to accept the agreement looms, Israeli troops have pressed on with their Gaza offensive, including targeting Al-Falah school in the eastern Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City. First responders were among the casualties. Israel has killed at least 66,005 Palestinians in Gaza since the Hamas attack during which 1,200 people were killed in Israel in October 2023.
After Trump shared his plan to end the war, Hamas said it would study it before responding. Some politicians including Egypt's Foreign Minister Bader Abdelatty have said the proposal needs more negotiations on certain elements, echoing remarks made by Qatar a day earlier. Egypt and Qatar have been the two key mediators in an effort to reach an end to fighting.
Trump's 20-point plan demands Hamas release hostages, leave power in Gaza and disarm in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners and an end to fighting. It also pledges a flow of humanitarian aid and promises reconstruction in Gaza, placing it and its more than two million Palestinians under international governance.
After the plan was announced, Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the news, saying in a statement: "The new US initiative to deliver an end to the war in Gaza is profoundly welcome and I am grateful for President Trump’s leadership. We strongly support his efforts to end the fighting, release the hostages and ensure the provision of urgent humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza. This is our top priority and should happen immediately.
"We call on all sides to come together and to work with the US Administration to finalise this agreement and bring it into reality. Hamas should now agree to the plan and end the misery, by laying down their arms and releasing all remaining hostages."
But leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad Ziad Al-Nakhaleh, who heads Gaza's second biggest militant group, said the plan is "an American–Israeli agreement that fully reflects Israel's position and a recipe for continued aggression against the Palestinian people." Far-right Israeli politician Bezalel Smotrich branded it a "resounding diplomatic failure" which is "turning a blind eye and turning one's back on all the lessons of October 7th."
Last month, a UN-commissioned inquiry said Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law have been committed, the probe found. They include killing members of the group, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to destroy, and preventing births. Senior independent rights investigators appointed by the Human Rights Council made the findings.
After a legal analysis, the commission said Israel had committed four of the five "genocidal acts" defined under an international convention adopted in 1948 known as the "Genocide Convention". Commission chair Navi Pillay said: "The Commission finds that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza. It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention."
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