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Israel expands assault on Gaza, kills 74 Palestinians

Hamas says it has not received Trump plan
Palestinians, who fled northern Gaza after Israeli forces ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the south, rest at their makeshift shelter in the central Gaza Strip, on Saturday. — Reuters
Palestinians, who fled northern Gaza after Israeli forces ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the south, rest at their makeshift shelter in the central Gaza Strip, on Saturday. — Reuters
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Hamas has not received US President Donald Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan, the Palestinian group said on Saturday, as Israeli forces expanded their assault on Gaza City.


The comments came after Israeli newspaper Haaretz cited sources saying Hamas had agreed in principle to release all the Israeli captives in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops under Trump's plan.


Also included in the proposal were the end of Hamas rule in Gaza, and Israel agreeing not to annex the territory and drive out Palestinians living there, Haaretz reported.


"Hamas has not been presented with any plan," a Hamas official who asked not to be named said.


In his comments to reporters last Friday in which he said "it's looking like we have a deal on Gaza", Trump offered no details of its contents and gave no timetable. Israel has not yet made any public response to Trump's comments.


Trump is due on Monday to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who heads a hard-right governing coalition opposed to ending the Gaza.


Trump also said last Friday talks on Gaza with Middle Eastern nations were intense and would continue as long as required.


His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said the US president had presented proposals to the leaders of Middle Eastern countries this week that included a 21-point Middle East peace plan.


In Gaza, meanwhile, the fighting continued. The Israeli military said its aircraft struck 120 targets across the strip over the past day as troops pressed deeper into Gaza City. The Palestinian Health Ministry said 74 people were killed in Gaza in the last 24 hours.


In a post on social media platform X, the military's Arabic spokesman repeated calls for Gaza City residents to evacuate.


The UN World Food Programme estimates that some 350,000-400,000 Palestinians have left since Israel began its expanded ground offensive in Gaza City a couple of weeks ago, but hundreds of thousands remain.


Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres said late on Friday it had been forced to suspend its medical activities in Gaza City because its clinics were encircled by Israeli forces.


The group said the move was the "last thing" it wanted, saying that vulnerable people such as infants in neonatal care and people with life-threatening illnesses are unable to move and are in grave danger.


Four health facilities in Gaza City have shut down so far this month, according to the World Health Organization, and the UN says some malnutrition centres have also closed. — Reuters


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