US President Donald Trump has presented a plan to end the Gaza war in a meeting with Arab and Muslim leaders this week, his envoy said Wednesday, as Gaza's civil defence agency reported dozens killed in Israeli attacks.
US envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been involved in months of mediation efforts seeking an end to the nearly two-year war, said Trump had detailed a "21-point plan for peace in the Mideast and Gaza" in Tuesday's meeting with a group of leaders from Arab and Muslim nations.
"We're hopeful, and I might say even confident, that in the coming days we'll be able to announce some sort of breakthrough," Witkoff told a summit on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
The plan "addresses Israeli concerns as well as the concerns of all the neighbours in the region," he said, without elaborating on the 21 points.
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A joint statement from the governments represented in Tuesday's meeting said the leaders had "reiterated their commitment to cooperate with President Trump, and stressed the importance of his leadership to end the war."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said later that Israel was not bound by a wave of recognitions of the State of Palestine, including by Australia, Britain, Canada and France.
"The shameful capitulation of some leaders to Palestinian terror does not obligate Israel in any way. There will be no Palestinian state," he said.
On the ground, Israel pressed its assault on Gaza City, which has displaced hundreds of thousands.
Israel says the major air and ground offensive aims to root out Hamas, the Palestinian militant group whose October 2023 attack sparked the war.
Thaer Saqr, 39, said his sister was killed as the family headed south from Gaza City.
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"The tanks on the coastal road... opened fire on us, and my sister was killed," he said after returning to the northern city.
From Al-Shifa Hospital, he said he "will not leave, even if they kill us all."
The civil defence agency said hundreds of families have been sleeping on the ground for days after fleeing from northern Gaza, unable to secure temporary shelter.
"I appeal to the world: help us," Saqr said. "I say to Israel: you want us to evacuate, but how can we when we have no shekels, no transport, and no place to go?"
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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