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.”
In a brief video message posted separately Trump said it was a “very special day, maybe unprecedented” and added that “Everybody will be treated fairly.”
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.
After the Hamas response, the office of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued a statement cited by local media saying Israel was preparing for an “immediate implementation” of the first stage of the plan for the immediate release of all hostages.
“We will continue to work in full cooperation with the president and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles laid out by Israel, which correspond with Trump’s vision for ending the war,” the statement said, making no mention of Trump’s demand that Israel stop bombing Gaza.
Trump is widely seen as the only international leader with the power to compel 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, mainly civilians. The figure does not include the thousands buried under the rubble or those killed by indirect consequences of the war.
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.
A spokesman for the UN secretary general, António Guterres, said he “urges all parties to seize the opportunity to bring the tragic conflict in Gaza to an end”, while the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, called for the Trump plan to be implemented “without delay”, saying Hamas’s acceptance of it was “a significant step forwards”.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, wrote on social media that “the release of all hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza are within reach!”, and the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said that “after almost two years, this is the best chance for peace”.
