Middle East crisis live: Trump claims Gaza deal reached; Iran targets US bases in Kuwait

Tensions flared across the Middle East as Iran's army announced it launched drone strikes targeting US military facilities in Kuwait, citing retaliation for recent US aggression. The announcement came after the US military reported carrying out a "heavy wave of strikes" against Iran, including on Qeshm Island, which local media reported resulted in civilian casualties.

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The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases. As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors.

Meanwhile, former US President Donald Trump claimed a deal had been reached for Hamas to disarm and for Israeli forces to withdraw from Gaza. He outlined a phased approach where disarmament would precede Israeli withdrawal, with an International Stabilization Force working with a new Palestinian police force to ensure safety. However, significant obstacles and conditions immediately emerged.

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We will not take any action regarding disarmament prior to Israel’s withdrawal from the Strip.

Senior Hamas officials reportedly agreed to the plan in principle, but a key point of contention is the sequence of events. Ghazi Hamad, a member of the Hamas negotiating team, told Al Jazeera that Hamas would not disarm prior to Israel's withdrawal from the Strip. This stance directly conflicts with Israel's demand for complete disarmament and demilitarization of Gaza as a precondition for any process.

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Israel demands the complete disarmament of Hamas, including ​the removal of weapons from Gaza and the complete demilitarisation of the Strip as a precondition for ‌any process. The plan under discussion did not “provide a satisfactory response to these demands and Israel conveyed its objections”.

An Israeli official told Reuters that the proposed terms were unsatisfactory and did not meet Israel's demands. The announcement follows nine months of stalled negotiations between Israel and Hamas, particularly concerning the implementation of the second phase of a US-brokered ceasefire, which included Hamas's disarmament and Gaza's reconstruction.

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in response to the recent aggression by the terrorist US military against our country and its brutal attack on a residential home on Qeshm Island