THE United States’ President Donald Trump has called on Israel to “immediately stop the bombing of Gaza” following a statement from Hamas signalling readiness to enter a ceasefire agreement under his proposed peace plan.
In a post on Truth Social on Friday, October 3, Trump said Hamas appeared prepared for “a lasting peace” and urged Israel to halt its military operations to allow the safe release of hostages.
“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 the details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought,” he wrote.
The statement came hours after Hamas announced its willingness to enter negotiations through mediators for the release of hostages and hand over governance of Gaza to a Palestinian authority of independents, supported by Arab and Islamic states.
“Other issues mentioned in President Trump’s proposal regarding the future of the Gaza Strip and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people are connected to a unified national position and relevant international laws and resolutions,” Hamas said.
“They will be addressed through a comprehensive Palestinian national framework, in which Hamas will participate and contribute responsibly.”
Although the group didn’t state disarmament or the exclusion of Hamas from future governance, their response showed enthusiasm for possible solutions to the nearly two-year-long war.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the government and military were preparing to implement the first phase of Trump’s proposal, which includes the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
“In light of Hamas’s response, Israel is preparing to immediately implement the first phase of Trump’s plan for the immediate release of all hostages,” the statement was quoted to have read.
It also noted that Israel “will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles set forth by Israel that are consistent with President Trump’s vision.”
The ICIR reports that under Trump’s proposal, Hamas would free the remaining hostages, relinquish control of Gaza, and eventually disarm, while Israel would gradually withdraw its forces as an international stabilisation force led by Arab partners takes over.
Israel will also “release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1700 Gazans who were detained after October 7th 2023, including all women and children detained in that context.”
“For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans,” CNN reported the updated proposal to have read.
A temporary Palestinian authority, overseen by a global “Board of Peace,” would administer Gaza until a reformed Palestinian Authority assumes control.
The force “will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and will consult with Jordan and Egypt, who have extensive experience in this field.”
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M