The Latest: Hamas says it will study Trump's peace plan before responding

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Hamas said Tuesday it will discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza within the group and with other Palestinian factions before responding. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already thrown his support behind it but it’s unclear whether Hamas will agree or when it would give its response.

The proposal demands that Hamas effectively surrender and disarm in return for an end to fighting, humanitarian aid for Palestinians and the promise of reconstruction in Gaza — all desperately hoped for by the population in the devastated territory where the death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has topped 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Meanwhile, backing and support were pouring in for the proposal from the international community. Trump and Netanyahu said after talks Monday in the White House that they had agreed on the plan.

Here's the latest:

Chancellor Friedrich Merz thanked Trump for his “persistent efforts” and Arab and Muslim countries in the Middle East for their “influence” with Hamas. He said Germany remained in close contact with its European neighbors and the United States on the issue.

Merz's came shortly after Merz on Tuesday hosted relatives of German hostages of Hamas. During the meeting, he said the suffering of the hostages “must end now,” and called on Hamas to release all hostages, according to the statement.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez welcomed the U.S. peace proposal and said a two-state solution was “the only possible one” for the Middle East.

“It is time for the violence to cease, for the immediate release of all the hostages to take place, and for humanitarian aid to be provided to the civilian population,” Sánchez wrote on X.

Spain has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, with Sánchez earlier this month calling Israel’s conduct a genocide.

Turkey’s defense ministry says it's closely monitoring the eastern Mediterranean and that its ships in the region are prepared to assist “humanitarian missions if needed” — a reference to the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla seeking to break the Israeli blockade of the territory.

A day earlier, Turkish navy helped evacuate activists on board Johnny M, one of the flotilla vessels — after it began taking in water in an area off the coast of Crete, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Meanwhile, at least three activists working with the flotilla from Egypt were arrested in Cairo, the flotilla committee said. It's unclear where they are being detained.

Some of the activists in Egypt plan to join the group of more than 50 small vessels carrying activists from dozens of countries attempting to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza.

The flotilla includes 52 mostly small vessels carrying activists from dozens of countries and a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid, mainly food and medicine, for Palestinians in Gaza.

French President Emmanuel Macron says he welcomes Trump’s “commitment to ending the war in Gaza and securing the release of all hostages.”

“I expect Israel to engage resolutely on this basis. Hamas has no choice but to immediately release all hostages and follow this plan,” Macron posted on X.

“These elements must pave the way for in-depth discussions with all relevant partners to build a lasting peace in the region, based on the two-state solution,” he wrote. “France stands ready to contribute. It will remain vigilant regarding the commitments of each party.”

A senior Hamas official told The Associated Press that the group's leaders will hold internal discussions as well as talks with other Palestinian factions before they respond to the Trump proposal.

The official added that Hamas received the proposal from the two Mideast mediators — Egypt and Qatar — and “will begin studying it today” with other factions.

There was no indication when Hamas could give its response to the plan. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

—By Bassem Mroue in Beirut;

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday welcomed Trump’s announcement of a plan to end the Gaza conflict.

“It provides a viable pathway to long term and sustainable peace, security and development for the Palestinian and Israeli people, as also for the larger West Asian region,” Modi said on X, hoping that all concerned will come together behind Trump’s initiative and support the effort to end the conflict and secure peace.

The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt on Tuesday welcomed the plan and expressed confidence in Trump's ability to help chart a path to peace.

In a joint statement, the ministers said they supported Trump’s plan to halt the fighting, rebuild Gaza, prevent the displacement of Palestinians, and block any annexation of the West Bank by Israel.

They also emphasized the importance of their partnership with Washington in securing peace in the region and affirmed their readiness to work constructively with the United States and other parties toward peace and stability.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has welcomed the U.S. peace plan for Gaza and urged all parties to make it a reality without delay.

“We commend the plan’s focus on Palestinian self-determination and statehood, and the Palestinian Authority taking back effective control of Gaza," Albanese said Tuesday.

“President Trump’s plan reflects a clear rejection of annexation and forced displacement of Palestinians,” he added. "Australia urges all parties to engage seriously with the plan and to work to bring its vision into reality without delay.”

Australia last month joined Britain and Canada in formally recognizing a Palestinian state, prompting an angry response from Israel, which ruled out the prospect.

The Palestinian Authority pledged to implement reforms in order to return to Gaza and potentially clear the way for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

“The State of Palestine welcomes the sincere and determined efforts of President Donald J. Trump to end the war on Gaza and affirms its confidence in his ability to find a path toward peace,” it said.

“We have affirmed our desire for a modern, democratic, and nonmilitarized Palestinian state, committed to pluralism and the peaceful transfer of power,” the statement said and promised reforms, including new elections and ending a system that pays the families of militants involved in attacks on Israelis.

Trump's 20-point plan for ending the war and establishing a postwar Gaza governance does not require people to leave Gaza and calls for the war to end immediately if both sides accept it.

It also calls for all remaining hostages to be released by Hamas within 72 hours of Israel accepting the plan.

The plan would effectively put the territory and its more than 2 million people under international control, deploying an international security force and installing a “Board of Peace” headed by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to oversee the administration and reconstruction.

The territory would remain surrounded by Israeli troops. Hamas would have no part in administering Gaza, and all its military infrastructure — including tunnels — would be dismantled.

The international security force would keep order and train Palestinian police to take over law enforcement. Egypt has said it is training thousands of Palestinian police to deploy to Gaza.