Overview

• Hamas has drafted a handwritten letter asking President Trump to guarantee a 60‑day ceasefire in return for releasing half of roughly 48 hostages, according to Fox News and Times of Israel.
• The proposal is being held in Qatar and has not been formally delivered, with the Gulf state’s mediation stalled after an early‑September Israeli strike in Doha.
• France publicly announced recognition of a Palestinian state at a UN summit, a step welcomed by the Palestinian Authority and criticized by Israel and the White House as a reward to Hamas.
• Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar warned recognition risks creating a “State of Hamas” and said the government will weigh responses, including applying Israeli law to West Bank settlements.
• Italy declined to join immediate recognition, calling for a negotiated process and a Palestinian state free of Hamas, as fighting continued in Gaza with reports of new civilian casualties.