File photo: US President Donald Trump (Picture credit: AP)
US PresidentDonald Trump on Sunday urged all parties involved in the Israel-Gaza conflict to “move fast,” warning that failure to act could lead to “massive bloodshed” as he pushed forward his latest peace initiative.In a Truth Social post, Trump said, “There have been very positive discussions with Hamas, and Countries from all over the World (Arab, Muslim, and everyone else) this weekend, to release the Hostages, end the War in Gaza but, more importantly, finally have long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”He added, “These talks have been very successful, and proceeding rapidly. The technical teams will again meet Monday, in Egypt, to work through and clarify the final details.”
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Trump said the first phase of the plan “should be completed this week” and stressed urgency, “I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST. I will continue to monitor this Centuries old ‘conflict.’ TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE OR, MASSIVE BLOODSHED WILL FOLLOW — SOMETHING THAT NOBODY WANTS TO SEE!”.Trump had set a Sunday deadline for Hamas to accept the peace plan, warning in an earlier post that if the “LAST CHANCE agreement” was not reached, “all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER”.Speaking to CNN, Trump said he expects to soon know whether Hamas is committed to peace. He thanked Israel for temporarily halting bombings to allow the deal a chance, while insisting Hamas “must move quickly, or else all bets will be off”.The plan, unveiled in late September, calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, disarmament of Hamas, and reconstruction of Gaza under a Palestinian governing body supervised by a US-led international coalition. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly agreed to the 20-point framework.Hamas, however, said on Friday that discussions over Gaza’s governance and Palestinian rights are ongoing “within a national framework”.Trump emphasised that time is critical and vowed to closely monitor the situation, stressing the importance of rapid action to avoid escalation and bloodshed in the region.
