Israel’s prime minister’s office announced early on Saturday that the country is getting ready to “immediately implement” the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan following a similar statement from Hamas. This might be a breakthrough after months of unsuccessful attempts to put an end to the war.
A few hours prior, Hamas had stated that it would “immediately” begin talks to free all hostages in accordance with Trump’s plan, but it did not fully accept the proposal.
“In light of Hamas’s response, Israel is preparing to immediately implement the first phase of Trump’s plan for the immediate release of all hostages,” the Israeli government’s statement said.
“We will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles set forth by Israel that are consistent with President Trump’s vision.”
Trump’s demand that Israel “immediately stop the bombing of Gaza” and provide a timeline for the release of hostages were not addressed in Israel’s statement.
Hamas declared that it is prepared to transfer control of Gaza to “a Palestinian authority of independents (technocrats) based on Palestinian national consensus and with reliance on Arab and Islamic support” and that it is prepared to start talks through mediators right away to discuss the details of the exchange.
Trump reacted positively to the announcement, stating on Truth Social that he thinks Hamas is “ready for a lasting PEACE.” Earlier on Friday, the US president had given Hamas a deadline to answer by Sunday night. Additionally, he demanded that Israel stop bombing Gaza to free the hostages.
“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,” Trump said.
This demand was not addressed in the Israeli prime minister’s office statement.
The president referred to it as a “big day” and said, “We’ll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down in concrete” in a video that was uploaded to Truth Social following the Hamas statement but before Israel’s.
Two of the Trump proposal’s principal objectives, the agreement to give up authority in Gaza and the release of the other 48 captives within 72 hours, were seen as possible red lines that might cause Hamas to reject the offer.
Given the increasing call for an end to the war, Hamas’s declared acceptance of these two conditions offer a path ahead for a ceasefire plan that has international support. Even while Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey are urging Hamas to accept the proposal, a final ceasefire agreement is still far from likely.
Disarmament or the decommissioning of weapons, another crucial component of the Trump proposal that Hamas has always rejected, is not mentioned in their statement. The establishment of an international oversight committee headed by Trump, which he has termed the “Board of Peace,” to oversee Gaza’s government is also not addressed in the Hamas response.
Rather, Hamas vaguely stated that future discussions will be held over the remaining problems “related to the future of the Gaza Strip and the inherent rights of the Palestinian people” that were listed in the US proposal. Additionally, Hamas said that it “will be included and will contribute with full responsibility” to a “comprehensive national Palestinian framework.”
The Trump proposal’s requirement that Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza have no say in how the battered region is run “directly or indirectly” is defied by this declaration.
Since Monday, Trump has been awaiting an answer to the 20-point proposal he presented at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stated that he approved of the framework during their joint appearance.
Trump had stated earlier on Friday that “all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out” if Hamas did not accept the deal by Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.
Although it’s unlikely that mediators would be able to strike a deal between Israel and Hamas in such a short span of time, they could be able to start the talks required to close the main gaps in the proposal.
Hamas’ response was referred to as a “positive development” by Egypt, one of the mediators in talks pertaining to Israel’s war in Gaza.