Hamas mentioned in an announcement Friday it has agreed to elements of the ceasefire deal that President Trump outlined earlier this week, together with a requirement to launch all hostages — however the group instructed different parts of the deal ought to be topic to negotiation.
A U.S. official instructed CBS Information the US views Hamas’ response as constructive, although there are particulars that also should be hammered out, such because the decommissioning of weapons, which can start as quickly as subsequent week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the deal on Monday. Earlier Friday, Mr. Trump gave Hamas until Sunday evening to simply accept the deal, or “all HELL, like nobody has ever seen earlier than, will get away in opposition to Hamas.”
After Hamas launched its assertion, Mr. Trump mentioned on Truth Social that he believes the group is “prepared for a long-lasting PEACE.” He pushed Israel to stop hostilities within the Gaza Strip.
“Israel should instantly cease the bombing of Gaza, in order that we will get the Hostages out safely and shortly! Proper now, it’s miles too harmful to try this. We’re already in discussions on particulars to be labored out,” the president wrote.
“In mild of Hamas’s response, Israel is getting ready to right away implement the primary section of Trump’s plan for the rapid launch of all hostages,” an announcement launched by Netanyahu’s workplace early Saturday morning native time learn. “We’ll proceed to work in full cooperation with the President and his workforce to finish the struggle in accordance with the rules set forth by Israel which might be in keeping with President Trump’s imaginative and prescient.”
Khames Alrefi/Anadolu by way of Getty Photographs
In a separate assertion, the Israel Protection Forces mentioned that its high-level army officers held a gathering in a single day, by which Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the IDF chief of employees, “instructed to advance readiness for the implementation of the primary section of the Trump plan for the discharge of the hostages.”
An official who was not approved to talk to the media on the report instructed the Related Press that Israel has moved to a defensive-only place in Gaza and won’t actively strike. The official mentioned no forces have been faraway from the strip.
A supply accustomed to Israel’s negotiation workforce instructed CBS Information that it was attending to journey. There was no date specified.
In a video posted to Truth Social later Friday, Mr. Trump known as the deal “unprecedented in some ways” and thanked a number of Arab and majority Muslim international locations that assisted with the deal as mediators, together with Qatar and Egypt.
“It is a massive day,” Mr. Trump mentioned within the video. “We’ll see the way it all seems. Now we have to get the ultimate phrase down and concrete.”
On Saturday, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the second strongest militant group in Gaza, mentioned it accepted Hamas’ response to the Trump plan. The group had beforehand rejected the proposal days earlier.
Hamas says it is keen to launch hostages, hand over management of Gaza
Hamas mentioned it’s keen to launch all residing hostages and the stays of deceased hostages “in accordance with the alternate formulation set forth in President Trump’s proposal.” The proposal laid out by the White Home known as for Hamas to launch all hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023, inside 72 hours, and for Israel to launch 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1,700 different Gazans who have been detained following the beginning of the battle.
The deal additionally known as for a direct finish to combating if either side settle for the deal, and for Israel’s army to withdraw to an “agreed upon line.”
Hamas additionally mentioned it’s keen to “hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian physique of independents (technocrats), based mostly on Palestinian nationwide consensus and with the help of Arab and Islamic events” — one other portion of Mr. Trump’s proposal.
A senior Egyptian official instructed the AP that talks are underway for the discharge of hostages, in addition to lots of of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention. The official, who’s concerned within the ceasefire negotiations, additionally mentioned Arab mediators are getting ready for a complete dialogue amongst Palestinians. The talks are aimed toward unifying the Palestinian place towards Gaza’s future.
The group was much less clear on different parts of the deal. The assertion mentioned some features of Mr. Trump’s proposal “stay linked to a complete nationwide stance, grounded in related worldwide legal guidelines and resolutions.” It mentioned these points will should be mentioned “inside an inclusive Palestinian nationwide framework” that features Hamas.
It isn’t clear if Hamas has agreed that it’s going to play no position within the governance of Gaza, which was one provision of Mr. Trump’s proposal.
The plan, unveiled Sept. 29 by Mr. Trump and backed by Netanyahu, known as for Hamas to free all remaining Israeli hostages and for the Israeli army to start withdrawing from elements of the Gaza Strip in phases, beginning with an preliminary withdrawal earlier than the hostages are freed. It additionally proposed handing over elements of Gaza to a “technocratic” Palestinian committee and deploying a brief safety pressure backed by Arab states.
Netanyahu, who joined Mr. Trump for a joint information convention on the White Home when the 20-point proposal was introduced, had mentioned he helps the plan, and that if Hamas doesn’t settle for the supply, “Israel will end the job by itself.”
“We’re giving everyone an opportunity to have this achieved peacefully,” Netanyahu had mentioned, warning Hamas what would occur in the event that they did not comply with the proposal. “But when Hamas rejects your plan, Mr. President, or in the event that they supposedly settle for it after which principally do all the pieces to counter it, then Israel will end the job by itself. This may be achieved the straightforward manner or it may be achieved the arduous manner, however it will likely be achieved.”
The president instructed Netanyahu on Monday that if Hamas have been to reject the proposal, “you’d have our full backing to do what you would need to do.“
Mr. Trump had mentioned his aim is to make sure a “sustainable, long-term peace.” The president on Monday additionally mentioned he and Netanyahu have been “ready for signatures and ready for approvals from plenty of completely different international locations which might be concerned on this.”
Israel and Hamas have been at struggle since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 folks and taking 251 hostages. Since then, Israel has waged an intense aerial bombardment and floor marketing campaign within the Gaza Strip. Greater than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed, in response to the Hamas-run Gaza Well being Ministry, which doesn’t specify how lots of the useless have been civilians or militants.
Some 50 hostages are nonetheless in Gaza, fewer than half of whom are believed to be alive, in response to Israeli authorities.
Claire Day, Margaret Brennan and Melissa Gaffney contributed to this report.
