US President Donald Trump on Saturday warned Palestinian group Hamas to “move quickly” and agree to a peace deal with Israel or risk further devastation in Gaza.
“Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off. I will not tolerate delay, which many think will happen, or any outcome where Gaza poses a threat again,” Trump posted on his Truth Social page. “Let’s get this done, FAST.”
He also expressed appreciation that “Israel has temporarily stopped the bombing in order to give the Hostage release and Peace Deal a chance to be completed,” although the enclave’s civil defence agency said Israel carried out dozens of attacks on Gaza City overnight.
Trump’s son-in-law and a senior envoy were heading to Egypt Saturday to finalise hostage release details, as the US president warned he would “not tolerate delay” by Hamas in implementing a peace plan with Israel.
A White House official confirmed to AFP that Jared Kushner and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff are traveling to the region to address the finalization of details on the release of hostages and to discuss the deal pushed by the US president to bring an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The Palestinian militant group on Friday reacted positively to a plan that would end two years of war, saying it was ready to release all hostages and discuss details on the deal.
Trump in turn called on Israel to “immediately” halt its bombings of the war-ravaged territory, although Washington’s chief ally in the region said Saturday its troops were still operating in Gaza.
Hours later, the enclave’s civil defense agency said at least 57 people have been killed since dawn in Israeli strikes, including 40 in Gaza City alone.
United States President Donald Trump on Friday (Oct 3) welcomed the acceptance statement by Hamas on his Gaza peace plan and urged Israel to stop the bombing of Gaza immediately. On his Truth Social platform, Trump said that Hamas’ statement is a proof that they are ready for ‘lasting peace.’
Stating that it would be ‘too dangerous’ to bomb Gaza right now, the US President urged Israel to stop immediately so that all hostages are out safely. He also added that America is ready to take the negotiations further, adding that this is necessary for the peace of the entire region.
Soon after, in a video statement, Trump thanked Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt for helping in negotiations with Hamas for the Gaza peace plan.
Calling the day ‘unprecedented’, Trump said that he is looking forward to having the hostages come home to their parents. “This is a big day, we’ll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down and concrete…We’re very close to achieving peace in the Middle East,” he added.
BENJAMIN Netanyahu has vowed to bring back all the hostages “in the coming days” and has said demilitarisation of Gaza will happen “one way or the other”.
It comes after Donald Trump warned Hamas “all bets are off” unless they agree to his Gaza peace plan and hostage deal before the deadline.
In a televised speech tonight, Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes to bring back the hostages “in the coming days”.
The Israeli prime minister said that “military and diplomatic pressure” compelled Hamas to agree to release the captives.
He said: “Hamas will release all our hostages, including those who are alive and those who have passed away,” adding he hopes to bring them back before the Jewish festival of Sukkot.
Netanyahu also said that the demilitarisation of Gaza is inevitable.
“Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarised – either the easy way or the hard way, but it will be achieved,” he said in his speech.
His comments came after Trump cautioned Hamas “must move quickly” as he “will not tolerate delay”.
Taking to his Truth Social platform, he said: “I appreciate that Israel has temporarily stopped the bombing in order to give the Hostage release and Peace Deal a chance to be completed.
Everyone will be treated fairly!”
Overnight, the US president had told Israel to “stop bombing Gaza” in response to Hamas’ announcement that it would release the remaining Israeli hostages – including those who have died.
Trump said he believes the terror group is “ready for a lasting peace” – a development that could mark a key checkpoint in the end of the brutal war.
The terror group said: “In this context, the movement affirms its readiness to immediately enter into negotiations through the mediators to discuss the details of this.”
Trump, who gave Hamas a 48-hour deadline to accept the peace deal, reposted Hamas’ statement on his Truth Social account and then released a video welcoming the move.
Israel’s military reportedly said it would limit its operations in Gaza to defensive manoeuvres.
Netanyahu had promised to implement the first phase of Trump’s peace plan, which includes a suspension of bombings and the release of 1,950 Palestinian prisoners.
Two envoys of US President Donald Trump headed to Egypt on Saturday to discuss the release of hostages in Gaza.
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff were expected to finalise details on the release of hostages and discuss a deal pushed by Trump to end the nearly two-year war between Israel and Hamas, a White House official said.
Hamas and Israel will engage in indirect talks in Cairo on Sunday and Monday to secure the release of hostages and detainees, Egyptian state-linked media reported Saturday.
Al-Qahera News, which is closely linked to Egypt’s intelligence service, reported that both delegations “have begun moving to launch talks in Cairo tomorrow and the day after, to discuss arranging the ground conditions for the exchange of all detainees and prisoners, in accordance with Trump’s proposal”.
However, there is so much that could still go wrong.
It is understood that Hamas has not entirely agreed to the peace deal, saying it wants to be part of the government following the war.
The 20-point peace plan proposes an immediate end to fighting and the release within 72 hours of living Israeli hostages held by Hamas – as well as the remains of hostages thought to be dead.
Nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners will be freed from Israeli prisons in exchange.
Hamas’s political leadership, based in Qatar, are said to be open to accepting it – but with amendments.
Although they have been unable to hold sway, as they do not have control of Israeli hostages – whose fate plays a crucial part in the deal.
Senior Hamas mouthpiece Mousa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera that the group will not disarm – one of the key points of Trump’s peace deal – until the Israeli “occupation” ends.
The radical terror group also did not agree to an Israeli withdrawal in stages, as opposed to the immediate, full withdrawal Hamas demands.
And it demanded that issues over Gaza’s future should be discussed within a comprehensive Palestinian national framework, which Hamas will be part of.
But Trump has ruled that out, with Israel saying in no way can the terror group remain in power for peace to occur.
Sir Keir Starmer said Hamas’ acceptance was a “significant step forward”, adding: “We call on all sides to implement the agreement without delay.
Hamas said it was ready “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.”
It has previously offered to release all hostages and to hand over administration of the Gaza Strip to a different body.
Israel has already backed Trump’s peace plan, which involves an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and Hamas disarmament.
A successful ceasefire could then pave the way for 48 hostages – of whom just 20 are believed to be alive – to be released from Gaza terror tunnels after two years in hell.
A truce – if it holds – could also allow vital humanitarian aid to flood into the besieged coastal strip, where Hamas says more than 66,000 Palestinians have died in fighting.
A new “Board of Peace” chaired by the US president and run by former UK PM Tony Blair would then move in to rebuild the strip before peace-loving Palestinians take over.
Earlier this week, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the most senior Hamas military commander still in Gaza, told the BBC that Trump’s plan “serves Israel’s interests and ignores those of the Palestinian people”.