Politics
Comparing Hamas response with Trump’s Gaza plan

Hamas responded on Friday to President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza’s future, including ending Israel’s war in the enclave.
The resistance group, fighting for the Palestinian freedom, accepted certain key parts of the Trump plan, including ending the war, Israel’s withdrawal, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian captives, aid and recovery efforts, and an opposition to Palestinian expulsion from the territory.
There were apparent differences in Hamas’ statement and Trump’s plan on the future of Gaza’s governance and Hamas’ own involvement in the territory’s future. Hamas said it sought further talks.
A comparison of Hamas’ statement with Trump’s plan is below:
What does Hamas say it is open to accepting in Trump’s plan?
Release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian captives:
Hamas said it would release Israeli hostages in Gaza both living and dead “according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump’s proposal, with the necessary field conditions for implementing the exchange.”
It did not specify what it meant by “necessary field conditions.” The militant group said it was ready to immediately have talks through mediators to discuss further details.
The Trump plan says all hostages will be returned by Hamas “within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement.”
Trump’s proposal said that thereafter, Israel will free 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences, plus 1,700 Gazans arrested since October 7, 2023, including all women and children. For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 dead Gazans, the Trump plan says.
Ceasefire, end of war and Israeli withdrawal:
Hamas said it accepted the framework of an end to the war and Israel’s “full withdrawal” from the enclave. Hamas’ statement did not note any different stages of Israel’s withdrawal and said it rejected Israeli occupation.
The Trump plan said “Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed upon line to prepare for a hostage release.” It said that during that time, Israel’s military assault, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and “battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal.”
Aid, recovery and no Palestinian expulsion:
Hamas welcomed that Trump’s plan urged a surge in aid into Gaza while not calling for Palestinians to be expelled from the territory.
The Trump plan said aid will be immediately sent into Gaza in quantities consistent with a January 19 agreement. It would also involve rehabilitation of infrastructure, hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads. Aid will proceed through the United Nations, the Red Crescent and other international institutions under the plan.
Hamas said it rejected Palestinian displacement from Gaza. The Trump plan said that “no one will be forced to leave” and those who wish to leave will be free to return. The Trump plan encouraged Palestinians to stay in Gaza.
Where does Hamas appear to be at odds with Trump’s plan?
Foreign involvement in Gaza’s interim governance:
The Trump plan said “Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee,” though it does not identify any Palestinian individual or group by name as being involved in the transition.
The Trump plan says the panel would be supervised by a new international transitional body that Trump would head and which would include other members, including former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Hamas said it would agree to hand over Gaza’s administration “to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats) based on Palestinian national consensus and supported by Arab and Islamic backing.” Hamas has previously offered to hand over Gaza’s administration to a different body.
Hamas did not comment on the proposed deployment of a “temporary International Stabilisation Force” in Gaza under the Trump plan for which the US will work with Arab partners.
Hamas having no role in Gaza’s future:
The Trump plan said Hamas will “agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form.” The plan also said there will be a “process of demilitarisation of Gaza.”
Hamas maintained in its response that the militant group sees itself as part of a “comprehensive Palestinian national framework.” Its Friday statement did not comment on demilitarising. It has previously rejected such calls.
“This is tied to a collective national position and in accordance with relevant international laws and resolutions, to be discussed within a comprehensive Palestinian national framework, in which Hamas will be included and will contribute with full responsibility,” Hamas said on Friday.
The Hamas statement did not comment on the proposal in the Trump plan to give amnesty and safe passage to other countries for Hamas members who “decommission” their weapons.
Politics
Netanyahu says he was successfully treated for prostate cancer

- Netanyahu does not disclose when treatment occurred.
- Delayed release of medical report by two months: Israeli PM.
- Move aimed at preventing Iran from spreading “propaganda”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said that he had received successful treatment for early-stage prostate cancer, without specifying when the treatment took place.
In a statement on social media, as his annual medical report was released, Netanyahu, 76, said an early stage malignant tumor had been discovered during a routine checkup. He said “targeted treatment” had removed “the problem” and left no trace of it.
According to the medical report, which otherwise said the prime minister was in good health, Netanyahu was treated with radiation therapy for early-stage prostate cancer.
Neither the medical report nor Netanyahu said when the treatment occurred.
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister said that he had delayed the release of the medical report by two months to prevent Iran from spreading “false propaganda against Israel”.
In March, during the fighting with Iran, rumors that circulated on social media and aired on Iranian state media claimed that Netanyahu had died.
The Israeli leader recorded a video of himself visiting a Jerusalem cafe in March to refute the claims.
Netanyahu underwent surgery on his prostate in 2024 after he was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection resulting from a benign prostate enlargement. In 2023, he was fitted with a pacemaker. Elections are due to be held in Israel by October.
Politics
Strategic Assertion or Legal Breach? Deconstructing India’s Indus Waters Doctrine

India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty under the pretext of security concerns constitutes a flagrant violation of international law , devoid of any legal basis within the Treaty framework. By invoking unsubstantiated claims surrounding the Pahalgam incident , India advances a dangerous doctrine that legitimizes treaty erosion and the coercive weaponisation of shared resources.
The Indus Waters Treaty is a binding bilateral instrument that contains no provision permitting unilateral suspension , reinterpretation, or conditional compliance, thereby rendering India’s decision to hold it in abeyance legally untenable and inconsistent with the principle of pacta sunt servanda. The attempt to justify this breach through allegations linked to the Pahalgam incident remains entirely unsubstantiated in international fora, exposing the claim as a politically motivated pretext rather than a lawful justification. By conflating disputed security narratives with treaty obligations, India not only undermines the integrity of a long-standing water-sharing regime but also sets a pernicious precedent that threatens the stability of transboundary agreements and the broader rules-based international order.
India’s unilateral move to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance is not a policy shift, it is a shameless act of legal defiance , openly violating the most basic rule of international law; pacta sunt servanda.
The weaponization of a water-sharing treaty exposes the dangerous ideological imprint of the RSS mindset , where majoritarian extremism overrides legal commitments India’s attempt to justify its conduct through the Pahalgam incident collapses under scrutiny even after a year; no evidence, no accountability, no credibility, only a politically convenient narrative weaponized to rationalize treaty violations.
Dragging terrorism allegations into a binding water treaty is not strategy, it is blatant and reckless escalation , dismantling decades of carefully insulated cooperation and replacing it with instability and mistrust.
By sidestepping proceedings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, India has revealed a pattern of selective legality , embracing international law when convenient and abandoning it when constrained. Moreover, India yet remains silent to the UN Special Rapporteurs queries even after 130 days.
The weaponisation of water by an upper riparian state is nothing short of hydro-political terrorism , targeting the economic and agricultural lifeline of millions and crossing the line from governance into coercion.
This conduct represents a shameful erosion of treaty sanctity , sending a chilling message to the world that binding agreements can be hollowed out by power politics and ideological rigidity.
Pakistan’s position remains unequivocal; treaties are not conditional favors but binding obligations, and no state has the authority to unilaterally rewrite or suspend them under the guise of security narratives.
The growing international concern surrounding India’s actions underscores a simple reality: Unilateralism is isolating, destabilizing, and fundamentally incompatible with a rules-based order.
At its core, this doctrine of “blood and water cannot flow together” is not a principle of justice, it is a dangerous precedent, legitimizing collective punishment and transforming a historic instrument of peace into a tool of strategic pressure.
Politics
India rebukes Trump for sharing ‘hellhole’ remarks on birthright citizenship

- Trump shares commentary on birthright citizenship on his social media.
- Conservative talk show host called China, India ‘hellhole’ places.
- India says inappropriate comments do not reflect reality of India-US ties.
India has dismissed as “uninformed” comments shared by US President Donald Trump that described the country as a “hellhole”, saying they were inappropriate and inconsistent with the strong relationship between the two countries.
The comments were made by conservative commentator Michael Savage in an episode of The Savage Nation talk radio show. Trump posted a transcript of the show on his Truth Social account on Thursday without any comments.
“A baby here becomes an instant citizen, and then they bring the entire family in from China or India or some other hellhole on the planet,” Savage said, according to the transcript.
“That there’s almost no loyalty to this country amongst the immigrant class coming in today, which was not always the case. No, they’re not like the European Americans of today and their ancestors.”
Reuters could not immediately contact Savage.
Trump has issued a directive seeking to restrict birthright citizenship in the United States, a move that has been challenged in the US Supreme Court. Earlier this month, he attended a hearing on the issue in a historic visit to the court.
India’s foreign ministry late on Thursday reacted strongly to the comments.
“The remarks are obviously uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste,” Indian foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said in a statement.
“They certainly do not reflect the reality of the India-US relationship, which has long been based on mutual respect and shared interests.”
The US embassy in New Delhi said: “The president has said ‘India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top’.”
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
India’s main opposition Congress party called the “hellhole” remark “extremely insulting and anti-India. It hurts every Indian”.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take up this matter with the US President and register a strong objection,” the party said on X.
Indian government data shows nearly 5.5 million people of Indian origin live in the United States. Indian Americans and Chinese Americans are the two biggest groups of Asian origin in the US.
Trump and Modi enjoyed warm ties during Trump’s first term, but relations cooled after India was hit last year with some of the highest US tariffs, many of which were rolled back this year. India and the US are now working on a trade deal aimed at preventing any renewed increase in tariffs and boosting sales to each other.
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