Residents of war-torn Gaza expressed scepticism over the latest peace plan unveiled on Monday by US President Donald Trump, dismissing it as a farce that fails to end the war.
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“It’s clear that this plan is unrealistic,” 39-year-old Ibrahim Joudeh said from his shelter in the so-called humanitarian zone of al-Mawasi in south Gaza.
“It’s drafted with conditions that the US and Israel know Hamas will never accept. For us, that means the war and the suffering will continue,” said the computer programmer, originally from the southern city of Rafah, devastated by a military offensive that began in May.
The residents spoke soon after Trump unveiled his 20-point plan aimed at ending the war and to which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered his backing after the two held talks at the White House.
The plan calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages by Hamas, the disarmament of Hamas and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
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Other key points include the deployment of a “temporary international stabilisation force” and the creation of a transitional authority headed by Trump himself and featuring other foreign leaders.