Palestinians in Gaza say the US-backed peace plan is out of touch with their worsening reality, after Israel killed 18 people in one of the deadliest days since a ceasefire last year.

US Peace Plan

The US president declared a major milestone towards implementing the Gaza peace plan agreed last October, saying that Hamas would disarm and Israel would withdraw in phases. However, complications have swiftly emerged, with Israel’s defence minister saying that Israeli troops in Gaza would not move before Hamas disarms and its tunnels are destroyed.

Palestinians in Gaza are facing intensifying Israeli strikes, with many forced to flee their homes. The Israeli military has occupied and depopulated two-thirds of the enclave, leaving nearly all its more than 2 million residents confined to a tiny strip of land along the coast.

Displacement and Destruction

Soumah Dawla, a 60-year-old resident, said that the Israeli-held zone had recently expanded towards her home, after she woke up to find yellow bricks laid by Israeli forces to demarcate the territory had been moved closer. “We are waiting for displacement at any moment … Our entire life is gone, our entire future is gone, our children’s future is gone,” she said.

At least 1,230 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in Israeli strikes since the Trump-backed Gaza peace plan was agreed in October, according to Gaza health authorities. Four Israeli soldiers were killed over the same period, according to Israeli tallies.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.