U.S. President Donald Trump said he believes Hamas is ready for a “lasting peace” and has demanded Israel to stop bombing Gaza, but warned that “all bets will be off” if Hamas doesn’t move quickly.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he hopes to announce the release of all hostages “in the coming days,” and released a short video statement early Saturday.
The proposed agreement, which would immediately halt hostilities and initiate a wide-ranging prisoner and hostage exchange, is set to be discussed in indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in Egypt on Monday.
“Hamas was forced to agree to our plan,” Netanyahu said in his statement. “At the first stage, Hamas will release all of our hostages. The (Israel Defense Forces) IDF will continue to hold control of all the territories in the depths of Gaza, in a way that ensures we maintain control deep within Gaza.”
He also revealed that a recent operation in Gaza was ordered to pressure Hamas leadership directly.
“In order to return 48 of our wounded soldiers, I ordered the IDF a few weeks ago to enter the most important base of Hamas; the city of Gaza,” Netanyahu said.
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While details of the full plan remain under negotiation, a general framework is emerging.
All hostilities would immediately end. Within 72 hours, Hamas would release all hostages it holds, living or dead. The militants still have 48 hostages. Israel believes 20 of them are alive.
Israel would free 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in its prisons and 1,700 people detained from Gaza since the war began, including all women and children. Israel also would hand over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for each body of a hostage handed over.
The plan calls for Hamas to disarm and the withdrawal of Israeli forces in favour of an international security force. However, Netanyahu said his country would not agree to a complete withdrawal from Gaza.
The territory would be placed under international governance, with Trump and former British prime minister Tony Blair overseeing it.
Trump confirmed Israel’s initial approval of the plan in a social media post Saturday afternoon and urged Hamas to act quickly.
“After negotiations, Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which we have shown to, and shared with, Hamas. When Hamas confirms, the ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin,” the post read.
The White House X account retweeted Trump’s statement, which said that the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal “will bring us close to the end of this 3,000 YEAR CATASTROPHE.”
According to reports, the plan also outlines a long-term political vision.
If the Palestinian Authority carries out reforms and redevelopment progresses in Gaza, the framework suggests that “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
A group representing families of Israeli hostages welcomed the announcement, calling the latest development “the closest we’ve come” to seeing their loved ones return home. In a statement Saturday, they urged Trump to push forward “with full force” and warned that “extremists on both sides” may attempt to derail the process.
Tuesday marks two years since the start of the conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and devastated much of Gaza.
— With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press, Cara Anna And Samy Magdy in Cairo
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