Italian Prime Minister Meloni Calls On Gaza Flotilla To Halt Mission As It Could Break The 'Fragile Balance'

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has urged the Gaza flotilla to not attempt to reach the enclave to avoid a "diplomatic incident" with Israel.

"Many would be happy to disrupt" the recent peace plan unveiled by Donald Trump and seeking to breach the Israeli blockade could "provide a pretext for this," Meloni said, according to Al Jazeera. She claimed the plan has brought new hope for peace and a confrontation could disrupt the "fragile balance." "I believe the Flotilla should stop now," Meloni concluded.

The outlet noted that the Global Sumud Flotilla is nearing Gaza, with organizers saying the hundreds of people in the more than 50 vessels making the journey could reach the enclave within three days.

The plan, which is supported by Israel, has already been delivered to Hamas. However, the final version has reportedly been changed at the request of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, infuriating Arab countries who had approved an earlier one, Axios reported.

The outlet noted that among the changes are the conditions and timetable for Israel's withdrawal from the enclave, which now ties it to the progress of Hamas' disarming. Moreover, even if all conditions are met, Israeli forces will remain within a security perimeter inside Gaza until it is "properly secure from any resurgent terror threat," a criteria that is not clear and could leave forces there indefinitely.

Officials from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey were among those seething at the development, with Qataris even trying to convince the Trump administration not to release the plan due to the objections. Trump did it anyway, and even though a group of eight countries issued a statement welcoming the plan, they didn't express their full support.

Special envoy Steve Witkoff, however, expressed optimism about the plan's chances of succeeding. "We have a lot of buy-in. Do we have some details to work out? Yes. But, you know President Trump... everyone is going to be pushed by him," he told Fox News.

Another report by CBS News, however, claimed that Hamas is leaning toward accepting the deal. The outlet quoted on Tuesday a diplomatic source with knowledge of the talks.

The Palestinian Authority has already supported the plan, vowing to conduct reforms to the organization before becoming involved in the governing of Gaza. In a statement, it made the commitment to hold "Presidential and Parliamentary elections within one year after the end of the war."