The United States has unveiled a 21-point Middle East peace plan aimed at resolving the Gaza war, with Washington expressing cautious optimism that a breakthrough could be announced within days.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said President Donald Trump presented the proposals to leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt during closed-door talks on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly this week.
“I think it addresses Israeli concerns and, as well, the concerns of all the neighbors in the region,” Witkoff told reporters on Wednesday. “We’re hopeful, and I might say even confident, that in the coming days we’ll be able to announce some sort of breakthrough.”
The Gaza conflict, now nearing its two-year mark, has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, while Israeli tallies show 1,200 killed during Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war.
About 48 hostages remain in captivity, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. International monitors say parts of Gaza are experiencing famine conditions.
Despite the new initiative, fighting on the ground showed no signs of abating. Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City Wednesday killed at least 50 people, most in a shelter for displaced families, medics said.
The Israeli military said it had targeted two Hamas militants and sought to minimize civilian harm.
Residents described scenes of devastation. “We were sleeping in God’s care … there are children and women, around 200 people maybe, six to seven families, this square is full of families,” said Sami Hajjaj, whose shelter was destroyed.
Israeli tanks pushed deeper into Tel Al-Hawa, trapping families in their homes and edging close to major hospitals. The Palestinian Red Crescent said oxygen supplies at Al-Quds Hospital were hit, while Hamas accused Israel of fabricating claims that militants were firing from Al-Shifa Hospital as a pretext for another raid.
Meanwhile, violence escalated in the West Bank, where Israeli forces killed one Palestinian in Jenin and an Israeli settler fatally shot another in al-Mughayyir, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
The U.S. plan comes as European and Arab states advance parallel proposals, including a multinational stabilization force for Gaza once hostilities end. Diplomats hope their efforts can converge with Washington’s initiative, though both Israel and Hamas remain entrenched in their positions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, due to meet Trump in New York on Friday, has rejected recent European recognition of Palestinian statehood and vowed to press on with military operations. Hamas, for its part, has warned that any further Israeli expansion in Gaza City would endanger remaining hostages.
Despite competing visions, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged leaders to seize the moment.
“Every day without peace is another day of death, hunger, and despair,” he said.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
