Trump and Netanyahu Unveil US Peace Plan as Gaza Conflict Nears Two-Year Mark – Live Updates
WASHINGTON D.C. - Former President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a joint news conference today outlining details of a US-backed peace plan aimed at ending the Israel-Gaza war, as the conflict approaches its second anniversary. The announcement comes amid escalating violence in Gaza, wiht recent Israeli strikes resulting in numerous civilian casualties.
The planS release seeks to address the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza and establish a framework for a lasting ceasefire. The conflict began on October 7, 2023, following a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that killed approximately 1,200 people and left 251 others taken hostage. Israel’s subsequent military campaign in gaza has, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, resulted in a current death toll of 66,055 as of today.
Recent fighting has seen a strike on a house in central Gaza in the early hours of Saturday morning leave at least 11 people dead, more than half of them women and children, according to officials at al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City.Health workers report nine members of the same family were killed in an Israeli strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp, and at least six people were killed while seeking aid in central and southern Gaza.
Netanyahu, speaking at the United Nations, stated that Israel ”must finish the job” against Hamas. The Israeli air force reports having hit approximately 120 targets across the Gaza Strip since Friday,including “buildings used by terror groups,terror operatives and other infrastructure.”
The situation in Gaza remains critical, with hundreds of thousands of residents displaced from Gaza City – the main focus of Israel’s current offensive – and facing dire humanitarian conditions. A UN-backed body confirmed famine was taking place in Gaza City in August. Access to the region remains restricted, with foreign journalists banned from entering Gaza independently since the start of the 2023 offensive.
The two-year anniversary of the Hamas-led attack is just over a week away, and both Israelis and Palestinians are hoping for a swift resolution to the ongoing conflict. Details of the US peace plan, including proposed security arrangements and governance structures for post-conflict Gaza, are being released throughout the day.
