As US President Donald Trump announced his Gaza peace plan with the backing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, Israelis expressed cautious hope that the nearly two-year conflict could finally be drawing to a close.

In the coastal hub of Tel Aviv, protesters grasped US and Israeli flags, alongside placards bearing the faces of the remaining hostages held by militants in the Palestinian territory.

"I am more optimistic although I am still a little afraid of being so optimistic," said Hannah Cohen, the aunt of slain hostage Inbar Hayman.

Residents of war-torn Gaza expressed scepticism over the latest peace plan unveiled Monday by US President Donald Trump, dismissing it as a farce that fails to end the war.

"It's clear that this plan is unrealistic", 39-year-old Ibrahim Joudeh told AFP from his shelter in the so-called humanitarian zone of Al-Mawasi in south Gaza.

TEL AVIV (Reuters) -Israeli opposition lawmaker Benny Gantz on Monday said in a post on X that U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to end the nearly two-year war in Gaza was an opportunity to free the hostages held there and safeguard Israel's security.

Gantz, who joined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government after the Hamas attack in October 2023 but later left, leads the Blue and White Party, which holds eight of the 120 seats in the Knesset.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he supported U.S. President Donald Trump's peace proposal to end the war in Gaza.

"I support your plan to end the war in Gaza, which achieves our war aims. It will bring back to Israel all our hostages, dismantle Hamas' military capabilities, end its political rule, and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel," Netanyahu, standing next to Trump, told a press conference.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Steve Holland; writing by Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Leslie Adler)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he believes Iran could join the Abraham Accords, a peace agreement signed during Trump's first term in office under which Israel normalized diplomatic relations with four Muslim-majority nations.

"Who knows, maybe even Iran can get in there," Trump said at a White House press conference beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"I think they're going to be open to it. I really believe that. But they could be a member."

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A White House peace plan for Gaza released on Monday proposes an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants and the return of all hostages, living and dead, within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting the agreement.

US sanctions went into effect Monday on a major Indian port project in Iran, as President Donald Trump again showed his willingness to punish longstanding partner New Delhi in aid of his wider regional goals -- in this case to pressure Tehran.

The sanctions on the Chabahar port come a day after wide UN sanctions also came back into force on Iran, as Trump, European allies and Israel have all targeted the country over its nuclear program.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed regret for an Israeli attack in Doha to Qatar's leader on Monday in a three-way call with U.S. President Donald Trump, the White House said.

The White House said Netanyahu also expressed regret for Israel violating Qatari sovereignty and "affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future."

WASHINGTON/DUBAI (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to his Qatari counterpart for Israel's attack in Doha during a telephone call from the White House on Monday, a source close to Netanyahu told Reuters.

The call to Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani came as Netanyahu met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington. A Qatari technical team is also at the White House, according to a separate source briefed on the talks.

Video game giant Electronic Arts, known for The Sims and FIFA games, announced Monday it would be acquired for $55 billion by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

The group includes US investment firms Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, the Miami-based firm founded by Jared Kushner, former White House advisor and son-in-law of President Donald Trump.