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Palestinian rights groups slam Trump's ‘ultimatum’ over Gaza ceasefire terms

Wednesday, 01 October 2025 7:12 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 01 October 2025 7:12 PM ]

US President Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a news conference at the White House in Washington, DC, on September 29, 2025. (Photo by Getty Images)

A coalition of Palestinian human rights organizations has strongly denounced an “ultimatum” issued by the United States, saying it ties the suspension of Israel’s genocidal war in the besieged Gaza Strip to terms that “normalize” occupation.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC) urged states to reject the 20-point plan from the Trump administration, calling it “a manifest breach” of Palestinians’ right to self-determination.

It further noted that any settlement must first dismantle Israel’s occupation and apartheid system.

“While PHROC welcomes all genuine efforts to end the genocide in Gaza, the US plan does not aim to end Israel’s settler colonial apartheid regime and unlawful occupation but rather to entrench and normalize it,” the statement read.

The PHROC called the plan “a grave violation of international law and an outright assault on the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.”

The group accused Washington of “rewarding Israel’s systematic crimes of apartheid, persecution, and genocide” and condemned the US silence over Palestinian detainees.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump gave the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas a “three or four days” ultimatum to respond to the ceasefire plan outlined this week with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu: Israeli forces will stay in ‘most of Gaza’ under Trump’s plan

Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli forces will remain in most areas of the Gaza Strip under Donald Trump’s plan.

Hamas has yet to publicly comment on Trump’s ceasefire plan.

A source close to Hamas said on Tuesday that the plan was heavily biased in Israel’s favor.

“Hamas is keen to end the war and end the genocide, and it will respond in the way that serves the higher interests of the Palestinian people,” he said, without elaborating.

Senior Fatah official, Abbas Zaki, also condemned the US proposal as a “document of surrender” imposed without Palestinian consent.

He warned that accepting it would “entrench humiliation, legitimize occupation and fragment Palestinian unity.” He accused Washington and Israel of seeking to “liquidate the Palestinian cause.”