Israel and Hamas signal willingness to move forward on Trump’s Gaza peace plan
CNN
By Abeer Salman, Oren Liebermann, Kevin Liptak, Jeremy Diamond, CNN
(CNN) — Israel’s government and military are preparing for the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, they said early Saturday after Hamas made a similar statement – marking a potential breakthrough after months of failed efforts to end the war.
Hamas had said it agreed to “immediately” enter negotiations for the release of all hostages according to Trump’s plan – though it stopped short of accepting the proposal unconditionally.
“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,” said a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
The statements from both sides come ahead of a Sunday deadline imposed by Trump for Hamas to accept his peace plan, as he pushes for an end to the grinding war sparked by the Hamas-led attack on Israel almost two years ago.
“We 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,” Netanyahu’s office said.
The Israel Defense Forces said it had given instructions to “advance readiness for the implementation of the first phase of the Trump plan,” following orders from the “political echelon.”
Axios reporter and CNN analyst Barak Ravid reported the IDF will pause its grinding offensive to occupy Gaza City, which had sparked international condemnation and further mass displacement of Palestinians.
He added that the IDF would switch to defensive operations only across the Gaza Strip, citing an unnamed senior Israeli official. There was no mention of when the Gaza City offensive would fully end or when the defensive switch would happen, and the IDF statement didn’t mention them.
Neither the prime minister’s office nor the IDF addressed Trump’s demand that Israel “immediately stop the bombing of Gaza,” or gave any indication of a timeline for the hostages’ release.
Earlier Saturday, Hamas said it was ready to immediately enter negotiations through mediators, and said it is ready to hand over the governance of Gaza to “a Palestinian authority of independents (technocrats) based on Palestinian national consensus and with reliance on Arab and Islamic support.”
‘Details to be worked out’
Trump responded positively to the announcement, writing on Truth Social that he believes Hamas is “ready for a lasting PEACE.” And he called on Israel to halt its bombardment of Gaza in order to extract hostages.
“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,” Trump added.
In a video posted to Truth Social after the Hamas statement but before Israel’s, the president called it a “big day,” while cautioning: “We’ll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down in concrete.”
The release of the remaining 48 hostages within 72 hours and the agreement to relinquish power in Gaza were two of the key demands of the Trump proposal, but were viewed as potential red lines that could lead to Hamas rejecting the plan.
The stated agreement of Hamas to these two conditions provides a way forward for a ceasefire proposal that has international backing, especially amid growing calls for an end to the war. But a finalized ceasefire deal is far from certain, even with Qatar, Egypt and Turkey pressuring Hamas to accept the proposal.
The Hamas response makes no mention of disarmament or the decommissioning of weaponry, another critical part of the Trump proposal that Hamas has repeatedly rejected. Nor does the Hamas response address the creation of an international oversight committee led by Trump — which he’s dubbed the “Board of Peace” — to supervise governance in Gaza.
Instead, Hamas broadly said the remaining issues mentioned in the American proposal, “related to the future of the Gaza Strip and the inherent rights of the Palestinian people,” will be discussed in the future.
Hamas also insisted that it “will be included and will contribute with full responsibility” to a “comprehensive national Palestinian framework.” That statement defies the Trump proposal’s demand that Hamas and other militant factions in Gaza play no role in governing the battered territory “directly or indirectly.”
Trump had been waiting since Monday to hear a response to the 20-point plan he unveiled at the White House alongside Netanyahu, who said at their joint appearance that he agreed to the framework.
Earlier Friday, Trump had said if Hamas hasn’t agreed to the proposal by 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, “all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out.”
It’s unlikely mediators can reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas on such a tight timeline, but they can potentially begin the negotiations needed to bridge the key gaps in the proposal.
Egypt, one of the mediators in negotiations surrounding Israel’s war in Gaza, called Hamas’ response a “positive development.”
Fellow mediator Qatar also welcomed the Hamas announcement, adding in its statement that it has started working with Egypt and the US “to complete discussions regarding the plan to ensure the end of the war.”
Trump’s 20-point proposal
Under Trump’s proposal, all of Hamas’ infrastructure above and below ground would be destroyed, with the supervision of independent monitors, “and not rebuilt.”
The plan calls for Israel to release 250 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences, as well as 1,700 Palestinians detained since the start of the war, in exchange for Hamas freeing 48 hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Hamas members can be granted amnesty after that if they “commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons.”
Israel would gradually withdraw from Gaza as a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF), led by Arab partners, takes over security in the battered territory, according to the plan. Meanwhile, a Palestinian committee, overseen by an international body dubbed the “Board of Peace,” would run Gaza until a reformed Palestinian Authority is ready to take over. The proposal recognizes the aspiration for a Palestinian state and tries to present a “credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
Hamas has been in discussions with regional mediators from Qatar and Egypt to discuss the plan. Trump spoke midweek with Qatar’s emir for an update on the conversations.
Communication problems with Hamas’ military leaders in Gaza could have been complicating receiving an official response, according to US officials who were advised of the difficulties by regional partners earlier this week.
The sporadic contact, paired with divisions among Hamas leadership over elements of the plan, may have been delaying the group’s response, the officials said before Hamas responded.
In previous attempts at securing a ceasefire, communications were halting between Hamas’ political wing, based in Qatar, and its military leaders in Gaza.
This story and headline have been updated with additional reporting.
CNN’s Ibrahim Dahman, Tal Shalev, Jennifer Hansler, Mostafa Salem, Nadeen Ebrahim, Jessie Yeung and Laura Sharman contributed to this report.
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