‘Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the hostages out safely and quickly,’ Trump said.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas said Friday it has agreed to release all hostages in accordance with U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.
The group also said it has accepted parts of the peace proposal to end its war with Israel, including giving up power over Gaza, but noted that other provisions would require further consultations among Palestinians.
Trump responded on social media to Hamas’s statement.
“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… this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”
Trump followed up with a video message on Truth Social later that same day, thanking the Middle Eastern nations that worked with the United States on this deal, including Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt.
“We’ll see how it all turns out,” Trump said in the video message. “We have to get the final word down in concrete. Very importantly, I look forward to having the hostages come home to their parents.”
The U.S. president said it was “a very special day, maybe unprecedented in many ways.”
“Everybody was unified in wanting this war to end and seeing peace in the Middle East, and we’re very close to achieving that,” he said. “Thank you all, and everybody will be treated fairly.”
The announcement came after Trump gave Hamas until Oct. 5 to accept a deal to end the war and release all the hostages the terrorist group took during its Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel. Trump announced the deadline in a post on Truth Social on Oct. 3.
“If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER,” Trump wrote in his post.
“As retribution for the October 7th attack on civilization, more than 25,000 Hamas ‘soldiers’ have already been killed. Most of the rest are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, ‘GO,’ for their lives to be quickly extinguished. As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down, and killed.”
Hamas said it welcomed Trump’s proposal but sought clarification on certain provisions, adding that it would release all living hostages and hand over the bodies of those who have died. It also said it’s ready to immediately engage in negotiations through mediators to discuss the details.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) voiced disappointment with Hamas’s response, calling it “unfortunately predictable.”
“Hamas’ recent response to President Trump’s plan to end the war—which Israel had accepted—is unfortunately predictable. A classic ‘Yes, but,’” Graham wrote on X.
“No disarmament, keeping Gaza under Palestinian control, and tying hostage release to negotiations, along with other problems. This is, in essence, a rejection by Hamas of President Trump’s ‘take it or leave it’ proposal.”
The war in Gaza has raged since Oct. 7, 2023, when a number of groups led by Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and capturing more than 250 hostages. Today, an estimated 20 hostages are still believed to be alive in captivity.
“Hamas must choose peace or its own destruction. Send the hostages home, now,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) wrote on X. “Politics aside, credit to @POTUS’ peace plan to get to this encouraging point.”
Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan
Early last week, the Trump administration unveiled a peace plan for Gaza, presenting it to Arab leaders on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City.
Israel approved Trump’s plan earlier this week during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House, and leaders across the Middle East and Europe have also voiced support for the peace proposal.
The deal included Israel’s withdrawal to an agreed line, a suspension of all military operations in Gaza, and the release of 250 prisoners serving life sentences, along with 1,700 Gazans detained after Hamas’s October 2023 terrorist attack on Israel. “Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza,” according to the agreement.
The peace plan also states that when the Palestinian Authority completes its reform program, it could prepare the conditions for “a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
The plan includes deradicalizing Gaza and making it a terror-free zone so that it does not pose a threat in the future. The Gaza Strip will receive full aid when hostilities end.
Both Trump and Netanyahu have made it clear that Hamas will play no role in the governance of Gaza.
“All military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt,” according to the plan.
“No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return.”
Trump touted the plan during a joint press conference with Netanyahu at the White House on Sept. 29.
“Working with the new transitional authority in Gaza, all parties will agree on a timeline for Israeli forces to withdraw in phases. They’ll be withdrawing in phases,” the U.S. president said.
Details of Hamas Statement
In its statement, Hamas said it “has conducted in-depth consultations within its leadership institutions, broad consultations with Palestinian forces and factions, and consultations with brothers, mediators and friends, in order to reach a responsible position in dealing with the U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan.”
After consultations, Hamas said it agreed to release the hostages according to the exchange formula contained in the peace plan if the necessary conditions for the exchange are met. Hamas expressed readiness to begin negotiations, through mediators, to finalize the details of the exchange.
Hamas also agreed “to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats), based on Palestinian national consensus and supported by Arab and Islamic backing,” according to the statement.
The groups said other parts of Trump’s proposal concerning Gaza’s future and Palestinian rights will be addressed through a unified national process in line with international law.
They will be “discussed within a comprehensive Palestinian national framework, in which Hamas will be included and will contribute with full responsibility,” Hamas said.
Meanwhile, the White House has highlighted the “global support”, including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for President Donald Trump’s “visionary” plan for peace in war-battered Gaza.
President Trump’s “groundbreaking plan for peace in Gaza has galvanized a chorus of international praise as the potential pivotal turning point after years of devastating war,” the White House said in a statement on Wednesday, October 1.
“Hailed as a game changer by nations across continents, President Trump’s comprehensive framework emphasizes an urgent end to hostilities, the full liberation of all hostages, sustained humanitarian relief, and Gaza’s transformation into a beacon of prosperity,” it said. It said the visionary plan has been embraced by key leaders from the Arab world to the West. The statement lists reactions and comments of world leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, on Trump’s plan to end the conflict in Gaza.
“We welcome President Donald J. Trump’s announcement of a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict. It provides a viable pathway to long term and sustainable peace, security and development for the Palestinian and Israeli people, as also for the larger West Asian region. We hope that all concerned will come together behind President Trump’s initiative and support this effort to end conflict and secure peace,” Modi had posted on social media.
The statement includes remarks by other world leaders including the joint statement by Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Qatar, and Egypt.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney; China; European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen; French President Emmanuel Macron; Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba; British Prime Minister Keir Starmer; Palestinian Authority and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Trump’s ‘Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict’, announced on Monday, entails that Gaza will be a deradicalized, terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors and will be redeveloped.
(With inputs from Agencies and the White House)
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