US to share draft Gaza plan at UN today. Hamas: we will hand over the body of another hostage

The IDF says it killed two terrorists who had crossed the Yellow Line, which demarcates army-controlled territory after its partial withdrawal, and approached troops, in two separate incidents in the central Gaza Strip this morning. The officers "posed an immediate threat" to forces stationed in the area, the army says, adding that shortly after they were spotted, "forces eliminated the terrorists to remove the threat".

Still on Wednesday, one of the most prominent Hamas leaders, Moussa Abu Marzouk, said that an agreement had been reached between his faction and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on the establishment of a temporary committee that will manage the Gaza Strip on behalf of the PNA. This was reported in the Times of Israel. Among the committee's responsibilities will be the supervision of border crossings and security forces in the Strip, Moussa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera, adding that it will be chaired by a PNA minister.

Abu Marzouk did not clarify whether this decision was approved by both the US and the NPA, which means it is unclear whether the agreement carries any weight. In recent weeks, Hamas has refrained from speaking publicly about the composition of the committee that will oversee Gaza's civil affairs, in line with the White House peace plan.

According to Arab media reports, one of the proposed candidates to lead the committee is the NPC Minister of Health, Majed Abu Ramadan. However, according to rumours, Israel has rejected his candidature. Abu Marzouk said that Israel continues to refuse to allow UN forces to operate in the areas currently under its control in the Strip, which he said contradicts the draft proposal submitted by the US to the UN Security Council, which focuses on the deployment of an international stabilisation force in Gaza. And he clarified that disagreements remain over the operational details of the international force, such as where it should operate and what its mandate will be, and said that "a long discussion is still needed on this issue".

Avoiding giving a definitive answer as to whether Hamas will disarm, as required by US President Donald Trump's broad peace plan for Gaza, Abu Marzouk stated that 'Hamas is the force that controls the territory (in Gaza). If it is disarmed, there will be other weapons and other groups. Just like in Iraq, when the Iraqi army was disbanded, chaos ensued: Al Qaeda and Isis emerged'. He added that such a move "would not contribute to stability or the implementation of agreements (such as the ceasefire)". "There is no vacuum: any replacement force must be Palestinian and approved by the Palestinians, so there will be no rejection or internal conflict."

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says the IDF will destroy Hamas tunnels and kill its terrorists inside Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza 'without any restrictions', while reports are circulating that Israel is considering allowing gunmen trapped in Rafah to return to Hamas-controlled areas of the Strip. This is again reported by the Times of Israel.

"Israel's policy in Gaza is clear: the IDF is working to destroy the tunnels and eliminate Hamas terrorists without any limitations within the yellow area under our control," Katz says in a statement. "The goal, in addition to returning all the fallen hostages, is to disarm Hamas and demilitarise Gaza," he adds.

According to Israeli estimates, some 200 Hamas gunmen are currently in the tunnels underneath the IDF-controlled areas of the southern Gaza Strip, particularly in Rafah, and are unable to withdraw to Hamas-controlled areas without exiting their tunnels and being detected by Israeli troops. The US is reportedly pressuring Israel to allow safe passage for the agents, as part of efforts to move to the next phase of the emerging ceasefire framework based on Trump's plan. However, the Prime Minister, Benyamin Netanyahu, has stated that Israel will not allow them safe passage. The IDF Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, has reportedly recommended to Israel's political officials that the militiamen's safe passage from Rafah be conditional on the return of the body of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, who was killed fighting Hamas in Gaza in 2014 and whose body has been withheld ever since.

A new group of Palestinian minors will be received in Italy today as part of Italy's commitment to the people of Gaza. In a note, the Farnesina explained that their transfer will take place on board three planes provided by the Defence Force that will arrive late today evening at the airports of Rome, Milan, Verona and Pratica di Mare.

This is the sixteenth humanitarian evacuation operation carried out by our country, thanks to which 19 people will be received and treated in Italy, followed by their families and carers (a total of 112 people). Upon their arrival in Italy, the patients will be admitted to 15 Italian hospitals in nine regions (Abruzzo, Campania, Emilia Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Lombardy, Piedmont, Tuscany, Veneto). This brings to 215 the number of Gaza minors received in our country together with their families, for a total of over 750 people, the ministry specified.

The government has given priority to the care of sick Palestinian children, all suffering from severe congenital conditions or major injuries and amputations. More than thirty health facilities throughout the country have been involved in the health operations so far. The operations are made possible thanks to the coordination between the Presidency of the Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of the Interior and the Civil Protection. The evacuations are carried out in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and the European Civil Protection Mechanism. Italy is thus confirmed as the first western country to have organised the transfer of patients from the Strip to specialised hospitals, the Farnesina concluded.

The US will share a draft resolution on President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza with the 10 elected members of the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Reuters reported on its website, citing a US official. Representatives from Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates will join the US, "showing clear regional support," the official added.