Israel demolishes high-rise building in Gaza City as US advances ceasefire plan

Israel’s military said that it has demolished a 12-story office building in Gaza City, 90 minutes after warning residents to evacuate the area.

Over the past several days, Israel has destroyed multiple high-rise buildings in Gaza City, warning that Hamas has installed surveillance infrastructure in them.

The demolitions are part of Israel’s ramped-up offensive to take control of what it portrays as Hamas’s last remaining stronghold, urging Palestinians to flee parts of Gaza City for a designated humanitarian zone in the territory’s south.

The demolition came as US President Donald Trump said that he was giving his “last warning” to Hamas regarding a possible ceasefire.

Arab officials described a new US proposal for the immediate release of all the remaining hostages in exchange for 3,000 Palestinians and a temporary ceasefire.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar confirmed that Israel had accepted the latest US proposal during a news conference in Hungary and expressed hope it would succeed.

Hamas said in a statement late on Sunday that it was “ready to sit at the negotiating table” regarding the proposal from US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff.

The smaller Islamic Jihad militant group, which also holds hostages, said it too would consider the proposal.

The “last warning” proposal, presented by Mr Witkoff, calls for a negotiated end of the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza once the hostages are released and a ceasefire is established, according to officials.

The prisoner exchange would include hundreds of Palestinians serving life sentences, added the officials from Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Egypt. Details of the proposal were first reported by Axios.

A Hamas official said the militant group was studying the proposal with other Palestinian factions and would respond within days.

He said they will demand a “clear commitment” that the war will end before releasing the hostages.

An Egyptian official said the new proposal, which Arab mediators received from the US, was broader than previous ones and would require negotiations over ending the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and Israel’s demand that Hamas disarm.