PEACE...OR JUST MORE HORROR?

Dozens killed in fresh strikes as both sides debate plan

- 

Jihad Ziad Al-Nakhalah, who heads Gaza's second biggest militant group, said it is “an American-Israeli agreement that fully reflects Israel's position and a recipe for continued aggression against the Palestinian people”.

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said it is a “resounding diplomatic failure” that is “turning a blind eye and turning one's back on all the lessons of October 7th”.

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov backed efforts at “ending the ongoing tragedy” and said Moscow officials “wish that this plan is implemented and helps achieve peace”.

If the document is agreed it will be the closest the Middle East has been to peace since Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The war has killed at least 66,000 Palestinians and almost 2,000 Israelis including civilians and soldiers. The fatalities continued after large-scale Israeli attacks yesterday morning.