Donald Trump orders Israel to ‘immediately’ stop bombing Gaza as Hamas agrees to free hostages | Israel
Donald Trump ordered Israel to “immediately” stop bombing Gaza as he welcomed Hamas’s partial acceptance of his ultimatum to end the nearly two-year war.
Hamas has agreed to release all hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, as well as surrender governing power in the Gaza Strip, in accordance with Trump’s plan.
In a statement on Friday evening, the Palestinian militant group asked for further negotiations on other parts of the plan, and did not say whether it would lay down its arms – a key part of Trump’s proposal unveiled on Monday.
Despite the qualified response by Hamas, Trump said in a post on Truth Social: “Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE.
“Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that.
“We are already in discussions on details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”
The unprecedented order from Trump underlined that Israel and Hamas are the closest they have been in two years to achieving an end to the war in Gaza.
Trump is widely seen as the only international leader with the power to compel the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to agree to a ceasefire deal.
In a statement earlier on Friday night, Hamas said it was giving its “approval of releasing all occupation prisoners – both living and remains – according to the exchange formula contained in president Trump’s proposal, with the necessary field conditions for implementing the exchange”.
Hamas also said it was prepared to turn over “the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independent technocrats based on Palestinian national consensus and supported by Arab and Islamic backing”.
However, the group said “other issues” in Trump’s proposal would need to be discussed further “within a unified Palestinian national framework”. The unspecified issues would likely include arms, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and international guarantees for a permanent ceasefire.
Trump’s plan called for an immediate end to fighting in Gaza, an exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners within 72 hours of the deal’s signing, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and a transitional authority led by Trump.
The deal also stipulated a surge of aid to Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine, and the reconstruction to the mostly demolished strip.
The deal was largely seen as unfavourable to Hamas and, if agreed in full, would likely spell the group’s end as an armed Palestinian faction while demanding few concessions from Israel. International pressure on the group to accept the plan has been intense, with most regional and international powers welcoming the Trump initiative.
The catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, with Israel’s continued aid blockade and daily bombing, also puts pressure on the group to reach an agreement to end the war.
Though Hamas did not immediately agree to disarm, its acceptance of a hostage handover will be seen as significant. The 48 hostages have been used as leverage throughout the nearly two-year war. Giving them up would we leave the group with few bargaining chips going forward..
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians and wounded about 170,000, according to the Gaza health authority. The war was launched by Israel in response to Hamas-led militants killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages in Israel on 7 October 2023.
The Qatari ministry of foreign affairs also welcomed Hamas’s response, and said it had begun working with fellow mediator Egypt to coordinate with the US on negotiations towards ending the war in Gaza.
