Middle East live: Plan for Gaza, rejected by Netanyahu, is 'the only way forward,' says Peace Council chief

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he has rejected a US-proposed roadmap for Gaza, a plan that Hamas had previously accepted. This move signals a divergence from his key ally, the United States, and complicates efforts to de-escalate the conflict.

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The option we are proposing today is the only way forward that guarantees this tragedy will not happen again.

Meanwhile, the situation concerning Iran remains tense. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps insisted the Strait of Hormuz would remain blocked until Washington met all of Tehran's conditions. However, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to minimize these demands, stating in an interview that the U.S. was remaining "discreet" and observing Iran's "runaway inflation." He suggested that economic pressure was sufficient, indicating a reluctance to engage in further military action.

Adding to regional instability, Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a drone strike targeting Saudi Aramco's refinery on the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia confirmed a fire at the site, which it stated had been brought under control, without specifying the cause.

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We remain discreet. We are semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran, with its runaway inflation and the fact that it has no money.

Nikolai Mladenov, the UN's special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, described the rejected US plan for Gaza as "the only way forward" to prevent a recurrence of the October 7th attacks. He emphasized that the proposed option was crucial for ensuring such a tragedy would not happen again.

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It's going to be okay. It always ends up being okay. It's like a chess game.