United States President, Donald Trump, has directed Israel to “immediately” halt its bombardment of Gaza, following Hamas’ partial acceptance of his peace ultimatum aimed at ending the nearly two-year-long conflict.
In a statement released on Friday, Hamas announced its willingness to release all hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails, while also agreeing to relinquish its governing authority in the Gaza Strip as outlined in Trump’s proposed plan.
However, the group insisted that further negotiations were necessary to address other elements of the agreement.
Notably, Hamas did not clarify whether it intended to disarm, a central demand in Trump’s peace framework unveiled on Monday.
Trump, writing on Truth Social, said, “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.”
In a separate brief video message, the President described the development as a “very special day,” assuring that “everybody will be treated fairly.”
