President Donald Trump urged Israel on Friday to immediately stop bombing Gaza after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a U.S. plan to end the war, but vexing issues like disarmament appeared unresolved. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s office said Israel was preparing for an \u201cimmediate implementation\u201d of the first stage of Trump\u2019s Gaza plan for the release of Israeli hostages following Hamas\u2019 response. Shortly after, Israeli media reported that the country\u2019s political echelon had instructed the military to reduce offensive activity in Gaza. Trump said he believed Hamas had shown it was \u201cready for a lasting PEACE\u201d and he put the onus on Netanyahu\u2019s government. \u201cIsrael must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!\u201d Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. \u201dWe are already in discussions on the details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East.\u201d Netanyahu\u2019s office said Israel \u201cwill continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles set out by Israel, which align with President Trump\u2019s vision.\u201d BOMBING REPORTED AFTER TRUMP ANNOUNCEMENT As Trump urged Israel to halt bombing, Residents said Israeli tanks bombarded Talateeni Street, a major artery in the heart of Gaza City, after Trump\u2019s message to Israel to stop. Witnesses said Israeli military planes also intensified bombing in Gaza City in the hour after Hamas issued its statement, hitting several houses in the Remal neighborhood. The Israeli military chief of staff instructed forces in a statement to advance readiness for the implementation of the first phase of Trump\u2019s plan, without mentioning whether there would be a reduction of military activity in Gaza. Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza, responded to Trump\u2019s 20-point plan after the U.S. president gave the group until Sunday to accept or face grave consequences. Trump, who has cast himself as the only person capable of achieving peace in Gaza, has invested significant political capital in efforts to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and left U.S. ally Israel increasingly isolated on the world stage. Hamas response Hamas said it was ready to release hostages held in Gaza under a peace deal proposed by Donald Trump but wanted negotiations on the details and a say in the future of the Palestinian territory. \u201cThe movement announces its approval for the release of all hostages \u2014 living and remains \u2014 according to the exchange formula included in President Trump\u2019s proposal,\u201d Hamas said in a statement, adding it was ready to enter talks \u201cto discuss the details\u201d. The peace plan for Gaza, presented by Trump this week and backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, Hamas\u2019s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. In the statement, Hamas said it agreed to hand over power in Gaza to a body of Palestinian technocrats but said decisions on the territory\u2019s long-term future would need to be discussed within a Palestinian framework \u201cin which Hamas will participate and contribute responsibly\u201d. Hamas\u2019s statement made no mention of its intentions on disarmament, a key part of the US president\u2019s plan and a move the group has previously resisted. Following the announcement, Mahmoud Mardawi, a senior Hamas official, told AFP the group welcomed Trump\u2019s proposal, but that \u201cwithout clear terms, criteria, and transparency, we need clarification and confirmation through a negotiated agreement\u201d. \u201cThe American proposal is vague, ambiguous, and lacks clarity,\u201d Mardawi said. Hamas had \u201cmade our position clear, and we are now waiting to see how the details of the terms will be implemented and clarified\u201d, he added. Gazans reaction An AFP journalist in the Gaza Strip\u2019s coastal area of Al-Mawasi said they heard celebratory cries of \u201cAllahu akbar!\u201d (God is the greatest) rise from tents housing Palestinians as news of Hamas\u2019s response filtered through. \u201cThe moment I read the news\u2026 my body trembled and shivered. A feeling came over me, like. \u2018Oh Allah, at last relief has come to us,’\u201d Samah Al-Hu, a displaced Palestinian in Al-Mawasi, said. Mohammad Abu Hatab, a Palestinian in Gaza City, said he was \u201cvery happy with Hamas\u2019s positive response and its opening of the door to new negotiations\u201d. \u201cWe hope, with the efforts of mediators, that the war is completely halted and our joy is fulfilled,\u201d he told AFP. Trump hailed the developments as a \u201cvery special day\u201d, adding in a brief video that all sides in any Gaza talks would be \u201ctreated fairly\u201d. In that statement, Hamas also agreed to hand over power in Gaza to technocrats but said it would \u201cparticipate and contribute responsibly\u201d in Palestinian discussions regarding the territory\u2019s future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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