The Palestinian militant group Hamas has agreed to release all remaining Israeli hostages, alive and dead, and signaled it is ready to immediately begin negotiations under a peace plan proposed by President Donald Trump last week.
In a post online Friday afternoon, Trump shared that he believes Hamas’ statement shows they are “ready for a lasting PEACE” and called on Israel to stop its attacks.
“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,” Trump said.
“We are already in discussions on details to be worked out,” his post continued. “This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”
In a video shared a bit later, Trump said he wanted to thank all of the countries involved in getting the negotiations to his point, namely Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan.
“This is a big day,” he said. “We’ll see how it turns out. We have to get the final word down in concrete.”
Trump also said in the video he is looking forward to the hostages being reunited with their families.
“So, I just want to let you know that this is a very special day, maybe unprecedented. It is unprecedented, but thank you all, and thank you all to those great countries that helped. We were given a tremendous amount of help. Everybody was unified in wanting this war to end and seeing peace in the Middle East, and we’re very close to achieving that,” Trump concluded. “Thank you all, and everybody will be treated fairly.”
Last week, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to a peace plan that was drafted by the United States. The plan was previously shown to Muslim and Arab leaders.
On Friday after Trump’s announcement, Netanyahu released a statement saying, “In light of Hamas’s response, Israel is preparing for the immediate implementation of the first stage of President Trump’s plan for the prompt release of all the hostages. We will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team to bring the war to an end in accordance with the principles set out by Israel, which are aligned with President Trump’s vision.”
Trump’s post online and video statement followed an earlier post from the president on Friday, criticizing Hamas for being a “ruthless and violent threat” for years.
Trump’s earlier post issued a warning to Hamas, offering them “one last chance” to accept peace that other regional powers have already agreed to, including Israel. He gave the group a deadline of Sunday evening at 6 p.m. ET. If not reached, Trump warned, “all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.”
In the plan, which would end the nearly two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas that began when Hamas militants invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, all remaining hostages must be released.
The plan also includes guidelines for reconstructing the war-torn Gaza Strip and the creation of an international board that would oversee operations in Gaza after Israeli troops withdraw. Hamas would have to demilitarize, and members who commit to peace will be given amnesty and aid will begin to flow into Gaza.
Netanyahu expressed a willingness last week to see the war come to an end, while apologizing for violating Qatari sovereignty with strikes and agreeing to parts of the deal that include a withdrawal of troops from Gaza.
According to Hamas’ statement, reviewed by The New York Times, the group only addresses some of the conditions proposed by Trump, but the statement reaffirms Hamas’ “readiness to immediately enter into negotiations through the mediators to discuss these details.”