Russia backs US Gaza plan, calls for full restoration of humanitarian access
Russia supports the Gaza settlement plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has said.
“We support the US administration’s plan for Gaza, which includes a ceasefire, the release of detainees, and the full restoration of humanitarian access,” Zakharova told reporters in Moscow as she stressed the importance of fully implementing all provisions of the proposal.
Zakharova recalled that Russia had earlier submitted several draft resolutions to the UN Security Council calling for a ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid. “These initiatives were blocked by Westerners,” she noted.
She reiterated that the main priority remains halting the violence and preventing further civilian casualties.
“We are convinced that the root cause of the tragic events in both Gaza and the West Bank is the deprivation of the Palestinian people’s sovereign right to determine their own destiny,” she said.
Hamas, Israel continue to have ‘serious disagreements’
Despite a series of positive remarks from Hamas and Egyptian President el-Sisi describing the ongoing negotiations as “very encouraging”, Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, Marwan Bishara, says the talks remain tense.
“You could say that the initial phase of the initial phase is working out,” Bishara noted. According to him, both sides appeared to agree on “some sort of parameters” for a captive-prisoner exchange.
But there are also “some serious disagreements”, he said, warning that a major sticking point is emerging over how and when the war itself should end.
“According to the plan, … after Hamas hands over the captives, then the war should be over,” Bishara said. “Israel says no, the war will be over only after Hamas disarms.”
Netanyahu’s endgame is about eliminating prospect of Palestinian statehood
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is prolonging the war in Gaza to secure a political and ideological victory, according to Yousef Munayyer, head of the Palestine-Israel Program and senior fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC.
“Because Netanyahu has kept the genocidal war of revenge going,” Munayyer told Al Jazeera, “when this does ultimately end, he’ll have to face the Israeli public. So he wants to get out of Gaza with the best deal that he can get.”
That deal, Munayyer argues, is not just about defeating Hamas. It is about reshaping Gaza’s political reality and erasing the idea of Palestinian sovereignty altogether.
“He wants to be able to say not only that we have eliminated Hamas from Gaza, but that we have eliminated the idea of Palestinian presence and self-determination in Gaza,” he said.
For Netanyahu and his far-right governing coalition, maintaining control and a permanent presence in Gaza has become a central goal. “They feel very strongly about this,” Munayyer said, “not to mention the issues around maintaining a presence.”
