Doubts grow over Gaza truce plan as fighting rages

RAFAH/JERUSALEM — Fresh strikes were reported across the Gaza Strip overnight into Monday, as doubts were growing about a plan for a Gaza cease-fire and hostage release deal outlined by the United States.

US President Joe Biden on Friday presented what he labeled an Israeli three-phase plan that would end the conflict, free all hostages and the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian territory.

Israeli media have questioned to what extent Biden's speech and some crucial details were coordinated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's team, including how long any truce would hold and how many captives would be freed when.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir accused Netanyahu on Monday of trying to "whitewash" the deal to wind down the Gaza assault and repeated a threat to quit the government.

Mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States said they called "on both Hamas and Israel to finalize the agreement".

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Sunday that "we have every expectation that if Hamas agrees to the proposal … that Israel would say yes".

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken "commended" Israel on the plan in a phone call with War Cabinet member Benny Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the State Department said.

Hamas has said it "views positively" the deal while the Palestinian National Liberation Movement on Sunday expressed its hope that the proposal will end Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

But the bombardments and combat show no sign of easing, with the conflict soon entering its ninth month.

On Monday, the Israeli military said over the past day its forces had struck "over 50 targets in the Gaza Strip".

Fighting has continued to rock Gaza, with hospitals there reporting at least 19 killed in overnight strikes into Monday morning.

Airstrikes and shelling were reported in Gaza City as well as in Rafah.

Crossing reopening talks

Egyptian state-linked Al-Qahera News said a Sunday meeting in Cairo with Israeli and US officials to discuss reopening the crossing had ended, without saying whether an agreement was reached.

Quoting a senior official, Al-Qahera said Egypt reiterated its demand that "Israel withdraw from the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing so it can resume operations".

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said Sunday that all 36 of its shelters in Rafah "are now empty" after at least a million people fled the city.

Adding to the region's tension, Israeli airstrikes after midnight Monday killed 12 pro-Iranian militias in Syria's northern province of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The attack hit several sites in the countryside of Aleppo. Several explosions were heard across the area.

Meanwhile, the Maldives government will ban Israelis from the Indian Ocean archipelago, the office of the president said on Sunday, announcing a national rally in "solidarity with Palestine".

Israel's Foreign Ministry said in response that the ministry recommends Israelis avoid any travel to the Maldives, including those with foreign passports, and those currently there to consider leaving.

Agencies - Xinhua