GAZA AT THE CROSSROADS

Partial Hamas approval to Trump’s peace plan offers a sliver of hope to avoid further bloodshed after Israeli retribution killed 67K

- TK VINEETH @Kochi

HOURS after US President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Hamas to accept his 'peace plan' before Sunday evening or face extinction, the Gaza-based militant outfit on Saturday said it was ready to accept some of the 20 points in the proposal, adding the others need negotiations. Trump immediately welcomed the Hamas response and asked Israel to stop its bombing in Gaza, claiming it would usher in lasting peace in the entire West Asian region. The positive messages also rekindled hopes of an early resolution to the Gaza conflict, which many feared was about to get worse in the days to come.

When Trump announced his 20-point peace plan on September 29 to end the bloodshed in Gaza, Israel was already two weeks into its latest military campaign to take over the enclave in a bid to smoke out the 3,000-odd Hamas militants there. With boots on the ground, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had even issued an unprecedented call asking all the civilians in Gaza City to evacuate. As it combed through suspected Hamas hideouts, blowing up the buildings where the militants were believed to be occupying, thousands were forced to flee. According to reports, a few hundred people have been killed in Gaza since the start of Israel's ground offensive on September 16.