Israel continued to bomb Gaza on Sunday despite a call from President Donald Trump for a pause in its offensive to allow for peace talks with Hamas.
Trump had ordered Israel to stop bombing the territory on Friday after Hamas accepted the broad outlines of his plan to end the nearly two-year war and return all the hostages it captured during its attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
“Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out,” he wrote on social media.
But at least 16 people were killed across the strip on Sunday alone, local health authorities said, four of whom were seeking aid at the time.
Read more: World Leaders Signal Support for Trump’s Gaza Plan, Critics Cast Doubt
Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, also announced the death of its 15th staff member in Gaza, who was severely wounded in an Israeli strike on Thursday. Abed El Hameed Qaradaya, 43, was hit as MSF teams were waiting to go to work at a field hospital in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, it said. “All staff were wearing MSF vests, clearly identifying them as medical humanitarian workers,” the organisation said in a statement, adding that staff member Omar Hayek was wounded along with several others.
An Israeli government spokesperson said on Sunday that there was no ceasefire in place in Gaza, only a temporary halt in certain bombings, according to Reuters.
Trump’s latest effort represents the closest the two sides have come to a permanent ceasefire deal since the start of the war.
The plan requires that Hamas release the remaining 48 hostages—only 20 of whom are believed to be alive—give up power in Gaza, and disarm. Hamas responded positively to the first two demands, but has not commented on the third.
In return, Israel would withdraw from Gaza in several stages to ensure Hamas’s compliance with the deal. Gaza would then be governed by an international coalition headed by Trump himself and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Once all the hostages are freed, Israel would be required to release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1700 Gazans who were detained after Oct. 7, 2023.
‘Complete obliteration’
Trump appeared to be following developments closely over the weekend, posting pictures of anti-war demonstrations in Israel and maps showing planned withdrawal lines.
“After negotiations, Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which we have shown to, and shared with, Hamas. When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal, which will bring us close to the end of this 3,000 YEAR CATASTROPHE. Thank you for your attention to this matter and, STAY TUNED!” he posted on Saturday.
He warned in an interview with CNN on Sunday that Hamas would face “complete obliteration” if it reneges on the plan.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that the current negotiations were “the closest we’ve come to getting all of the hostages released,” but added that further talks would be held to discuss the logistics of the next steps.
“We will know very quickly whether Hamas is serious or not by how these technical talks go in terms of the logistics,” he told NBC’s ‘Meet the Press.’
When asked by ABC News on Sunday about the continued Israeli bombing in Gaza, Rubio replied: “We have to look at exactly what those operations were. But ultimately, yes, you cannot have an exchange if there’s active combat ongoing, you just can’t do it.”
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces domestic pressure both from hostage families to bring the war to an end, and from his far-right coalition partners to continue.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir have threatened to bring down Netanyahu’s government if the Gaza war ends.
Israel and Hamas and now preparing for indirect negotiations in Egypt on Monday that could mean a release of the hostages as early as next week. Families of those still detained were eager for a deal to be struck.
“We cannot allow such a historic agreement to be sacrificed again,” Michel Ilouz, father of Guy Ilouz, told the Associated Press.
Palestinians in Gaza, meanwhile, were still trying to find safety as talks were progressing. Shadi Mansour told Reuters he lost his 6-year-old son, Ameer, in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza City suburb of Tuffah on Saturday. “Is he a member of the resistance? Is he a fighter? All the targets of the Israeli army are children,” he told the news agency.
Israel has ramped up military operations in Gaza over recent weeks, expanding ground and air operations in Gaza City, the territory’s most densely populated area. 82% of the strip is currently under Israeli military control or displacement orders, according to the United Nations. There is mounting concern over the malnutrition crisis in Gaza and its impact on civilians.
Israel launched its invasion of Gaza following a Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Over 67,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
In the absence of independent monitoring on the ground, the ministry is the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies. Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME. The Israeli army’s own casualty figures suggest a Palestinian civilian death rate of 83%.
The Israeli Defense Forces did not respond to a request for comment.
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