Trump Presses Netanyahu to Advance Gaza Peace Plan After Israeli Election, Report Says

US President Donald Trump urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call on Thursday to advance Washington's Gaza peace plan now that Israel's election has concluded, Channel 12 reported on Sunday, citing two American sources familiar with the conversation.

The plan calls for Hamas's disarmament and the transfer of control in Gaza to a Palestinian technocratic government. Its implementation was effectively frozen during Israel's election campaign, with many officials pointing to the political backlash Netanyahu's government would face over allowing any reconstruction in Gaza before Hamas is fully disarmed.

Trump, who endorsed Netanyahu for reelection, now wants to see progress on the plan regardless of which government is formed in Israel, the report said. A senior US official told the network that Gaza's reconstruction will be contingent on progress toward Hamas's disarmament and stressed that Washington needs Israel's full cooperation, though the source did not specify the required degree of disarmament before rebuilding begins. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's senior envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff also took part in the call.

A source familiar with the conversation said the Trump administration, the US-backed Board of Peace and Israel all agree that Trump's 20-point plan is the best way forward, describing the call as positive and constructive. The officials also addressed the war with Iran, the source added.

In a separate report, Channel 12 said IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir recently convened an emergency meeting over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, amid reports that more than 70,000 tents were flooded under severe weather conditions, affecting tens of thousands of displaced people. Unnamed security officials said the military is concerned about efforts by Hamas to "exploit the humanitarian crisis" to pressure Israel into beginning reconstruction before the terror group disarms, using images of displaced Palestinians to increase international pressure and buy time to rebuild its military capabilities. Zamir instructed officials to counter the alleged campaign through public diplomacy while continuing to facilitate the entry of humanitarian supplies Israel is obligated to provide. The IDF declined to comment.

Separately on Sunday, Israel's mission to the United Nations asserted that the UK's Labour government was rallying support among some 50 countries for a joint statement calling on Israel to ease restrictions on supplies entering Gaza ahead of the winter. According to Israel, the effort expands on September's "Gaza: A Call to Action on Humanitarian Access and Health," endorsed by Australia, Denmark, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UK. The British government has not confirmed it is leading such an initiative.

"The Labour government seems to have forgotten that Hamas even exists," said Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon. "Time and again, the international community points the finger at Israel while ignoring the terrorist organization's responsibility for the situation in Gaza." He called on London to instead demand the disarming of Hamas.

Amid the harsh weather, Gaza's Hamas-run Civil Defense said five people, three children and two women, died on Sunday in an incident linked to the heavy rains that began a day earlier. "A sandy embankment collapsed onto tents housing displaced people at a shelter center south of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip," said spokesman Mahmud Bassal, adding: "Rescue teams are continuing to search for missing people." The agency warned displaced people against setting up tents or remaining near sand masses and elevated soil mounds during rainfall, and called on humanitarian organizations to provide necessary equipment.

Palestinian authorities said the heavy rain on Saturday flooded tens of thousands of displaced people's tents, leaving them without shelter. Hamas municipal and civil defense officials said they were unable to cope with the storm because of fuel shortages and damage to equipment, claiming Israel destroyed hundreds of vehicles, including bulldozers and water pumps, during the war and has since barred construction equipment during the ceasefire. They also said Israel has not allowed prefabricated homes into Gaza since the truce was announced, permitting only limited numbers of tents.

Israel has said it will not allow reconstruction work to begin until Hamas agrees to disarm and relinquish control of the enclave. COGAT, the Defense Ministry agency that coordinates aid in Gaza, said in a statement on Friday that it had stepped up efforts to improve sanitary conditions across the territory before the expected heavy rain, in coordination with international organizations.