“‘Leave or Be Terrorists’: Israel Pounds Gaza as Trump’s Peace Plan Hangs in Balance”

A high-profile US-brokered peace plan is on the table, but Israel pressed ahead with its offensive in Gaza on Wednesday, warning residents of Gaza City to evacuate immediately — calling it their “last opportunity” — and declaring that anyone who stayed would be treated as a terrorist. Defence Minister Israel Katz issued the ultimatum as strikes intensified.

At least 16 Palestinians were killed across the territory, according to hospitals. Al-Ahli Hospital reported seven deaths, including paramedics, when two strikes minutes apart hit a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City. Later attacks killed at least nine more people, including five near a water tank and three in central Gaza.

Since Israel launched its “final assault” in September to seize Gaza City, around 400,000 Palestinians have fled. But hundreds of thousands remain trapped — too poor, sick, or weak to make the journey south. Nearly 90% of Gaza’s population has already been displaced at least once, and food is scarce.

Israel insists it does not target civilians, blaming Hamas for embedding fighters in populated areas.

Trump’s Proposal
Meanwhile, Hamas is weighing a 20-point peace plan put forward by President Donald Trump, which aims to end the war and secure the release of captives taken during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 people. Israel’s counteroffensive has since killed more than 66,000 Palestinians.

The plan calls for Hamas to release hostages, disarm, and cede power in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoner releases, reconstruction aid, and international administration of the territory. It does not, however, provide a roadmap to Palestinian statehood.

The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has endorsed the deal, as have Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, and the UAE. But Arab mediators including Egypt and Qatar say elements of the plan need further negotiation, signaling regional unease with the framework.

Trump warned Hamas it had just “three or four days” to respond or face “all hell.”