As Israel celebrates Yom Kippur, there's still no response from Hamas on the peace proposal offered by President Trump. But Christian leaders in the U.S. are voicing fresh support for Israel's right to the biblical lands at the heart of ongoing disputes in the region.
Israeli forces are tightening their grip on Hamas in Gaza amid word from Arab mediators that the terror group may be warming to the U.S.-backed ceasefire deal, but they're asking for more time to go over the terms.
"We look forward to a political solution of importance," said Hamza Al-Ajla, a Gaza resident. "Whether it is a 'two-state solution' or a similar proposal, it should be based on the simplest things we desire most -- freedom, dignity, justice, and equality."
Hamas is pushing back on demands to disarm and turn over all its weapons. The plan also calls for the release of 48 hostages within 72 hours. Hamas says they don't even know where all of them are.
They're also skeptical that the plan offers Palestinians a path to statehood.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands are still fleeing Gaza City. Israel's defense minister says those who stay will be seen as supporting terror.
"I came out at 8 a.m., and now it's 2 p.m. I've been walking for over eight continuous hours," said Mahmoud Ouda, a displaced resident of Gaza.
Today, the Israeli navy also intercepted an aid flotilla headed for Gaza, detaining activists who tried to break the blockade.
And in a surprise move, President Trump has signed an executive order pledging to defend Qatar, calling it a key U.S. ally in the region. This comes after Israel launched an attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar, which Trump criticized.
At the same time, as Jews mark Yom Kippur, around 200 American evangelical leaders are calling on Trump to back Israel's claim to the biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria, also referred to as the West Bank.
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The Family Research Council recently sent a letter to the president, voicing support.
"This is the heartland of Israel; 80 percent of what we read about our Bibles took place there in Judea and Samaria, and it has been the topic of the 'two-state solution' going back 70 years," said Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council. "We support the president; he's done so much for Israel, but we warned that there is danger when we move in the opposite direction of what the Word of God says as it pertains to the nation of Israel."
And this show of support comes as a new New York Times-Siena University poll finds American support for Israel has slipped ever since that deadly Hamas attack nearly two years ago.
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