US renews Gaza ceasefire push with Trump’s ‘last warning’

WASHINGTON

The White House envoy has sent a new proposal to Hamas for a Gaza deal through an Israeli peace activist who helped broker message in the 2011 negotiations

The United States has renewed its push to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as U.S. President Donald Trump said that he was issuing a "last warning" to Hamas.

"The Israelis have accepted my terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well. I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning," Trump said on social media, without elaborating further.

In a statement released shortly after, Hamas said it was ready to "immediately sit at the negotiating table" following what it described as "some ideas from the American side aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement."

U.S. news outlet Axios reported that White House envoy Steve Witkoff sent a new proposal for a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal to Hamas last week through an Israeli activist Gershon Baskin, who had also helped broker messages in the 2011 negotiations for a kidnapped Israeli soldier, a source told media.

He delivered the message through senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad.

The new American proposal includes “highly significant guarantees” that Israel won’t resume fighting so long as talks are ongoing for an end to the war, Israeli media reported.

Another “final warning” came from Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.

"This is a final warning to the Hamas murderers and rapists in Gaza and in luxury hotels abroad: Release the hostages and put down your weapons, or Gaza will be destroyed and you will be annihilated," Katz said on X.

“Today, a massive hurricane will hit the skies of Gaza City and the roofs of the terror towers will tremble," he wrote, adding that the military was "preparing to expand" operations to conquer Gaza City.

Israel has not publicly announced the start of its offensive to seize the city, but on Sept. 7 it bombed a third high-rise in as many days, saying it was being used by Hamas "to monitor the location of... troops in the area.”

Israel faces international criticism over its plan for Gaza City, as Spain toughened its stance with new measure against Tel Aviv.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Sept. 8 announced nine measures aimed at stopping "the genocide in Gaza,” including an arms embargo on Israel and a ban on vessels carrying fuel for the Israeli military from using Spanish ports.

The measures aim to "stop the genocide in Gaza, pursue its perpetrators and support the Palestinian population", Sanchez said in a televised address.

He said his left-wing government would approve a decree to "consolidate in law" a ban on military equipment sales or purchases with Israel, a measure it had applied since the start of the conflict.

"All those people participating directly in the genocide, the violation of human rights and war crimes in the Gaza Strip" will be banned from entering Spanish territory, he added.