Trump calls on Israel to ‘stop the bombing of Gaza’ after Hamas agrees to hostage negotiations
CNN
By Abeer Salman, Oren Liebermann, Kevin Liptak, CNN
(CNN) — Hamas announced that it had agreed to “immediately” enter negotiations for the release of all hostages according to President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan — a potential breakthrough after months of failed efforts to end the war.
Hamas stopped short of accepting the Trump proposal unconditionally. The militant group said it is ready to immediately enter negotiations through mediators to discuss the details of the exchange 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.”
The response to the Trump proposal, which was sent to the US through mediators, was obtained by CNN.
Trump — who earlier Friday had issued an ultimatum for Hamas to respond by Sunday evening — 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.
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 would lead to Hamas’ rejection of the plan.
The stated agreement of Hamas to these two conditions provides a pathway 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 the governance of 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 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said at their joint appearance that he agreed to the framework.
Earlier Friday, Trump had said if the terror group 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.”
“Egypt hopes that this positive development will elevate all parties to the level of responsibility by committing to implementing President Trump’s plan on the ground and ending the war,” a foreign ministry statement read.
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.”
After Hamas’ response, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said there is an “unprecedented opportunity” to free the remaining hostages and end the war.
In a statement on X, he called on the the Israeli government to announce that it will join talks to finalize the 20-point proposal and said he had informed the Trump administration that Netanyahu has the political backing to reach a deal.
Lapid has repeatedly stated his willingness to provide Netanyahu with a political safety net in order to support a hostage deal, but he has avoided detailing specifics of what such an agreement with Netanyahu would actually look like.
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.”
Trump said a day after the announcement he would give Hamas three or four days to respond. 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 contacts, paired with divisions among Hamas leadership over elements of the plan, may have been prolonging 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 and Nadeen Ebrahim contributed to this report.
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