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Gaza plan rejected
Israel rejected Donald Trump’s 15-point Gaza plan, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telling his cabinet, "Israel rejects the 15-point document."
“Israel rejects the15-point document.”
Netanyahu said the IDF "will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed" and framed the requirement as including "heavy weapons" and "all weapons."
The rejection came as details emerged about a possible Iran-Oman arrangement to manage the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran suggesting vessels linked to "hostile countries" would be barred from the key waterway.
In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels struck a government-held port on the Red Sea coast, deepening fears over threats to strategic shipping routes and a potential return to civil war, and they also said they attacked an oil facility in neighboring Saudi Arabia.
Quotes and pressure
Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim told Reuters that the group remained committed to the roadmap agreed with mediators in Cairo 10 days ago and said, "We expect the mediators and the US guarantor to press Netanyahu and his government."
AFP also cited Naim saying the United States must pressure Israel to accept the next phase, with the AFP quote warning against obstructing the process for "internal political and electoral reasons."
Netanyahu, meanwhile, insisted he was unafraid to push back against Trump, saying, "I have great appreciation for President Trump," while also stressing that "With an agreement or without an agreement" Iran would not possess nuclear weapons.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised Netanyahu and said, "The (military) cannot withdraw even a milimetre from the Gaza Strip," linking any reconstruction to the "complete dismantling and demobilization of Hamas."
Strait of Hormuz stakes
On the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said the waterway would not reopen until the US "corrects its behavior" and demanded Washington never threaten Iran again, permanently end the war with Iran and its armed allies, lift the naval blockade of Iranian ports, withdraw its military from the area, compensate Iran for war damage, lift sanctions and "unconditionally" release frozen Iranian assets.
“demanded that Washington never threaten Iran again”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said negotiations with Oman on "new maritime routes" were in the final stages, but added, "this, however, does not mean that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen."
The Business Standard and other outlets tied the Gaza dispute to regional shipping security, noting that the overlapping crises sharpened tensions over key shipping routes and uncertainty over Gaza ceasefire efforts.
In Yemen, the Houthis’ attack on Mokha was described as using "missiles and drones," and the Yemeni government said at least seven people were killed and 15 civilians were injured, with the port and surrounding areas hit.
