Trump had asked Israel to stop bombing Gaza in response to a declaration by Hamas that it was ready to free hostages under his plan to end the two-year-old war. At least 36 people were killed in bombardments and airstrikes in the devastated Palestinian enclave since Trump demanded Israel halt its attacks late on Friday.
Eighteen people died in sporadic incidents, while 18 people, including children, were killed and several others wounded in an Israeli strike on a house in the Tuffah neighbourhood in Gaza City, medics said. The attack damaged several buildings nearby.
On Saturday, Trump said he appreciated that Israel had “temporarily stopped the bombing,” and he urged Hamas, the Palestinian resistance group that controls Gaza, to move quickly on his plan “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. Let’s get this done, FAST. Everyone will be treated fairly!” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
Hamas had drawn a welcoming response from Trump on Friday by saying it accepted certain key parts of his 20-point peace proposal, including ending the war, Israel’s withdrawal, and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian captives.
In Washington, a White House official said that Trump was sending his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Egypt to finalise the technical details of the hostage release and discuss a lasting peace deal.
Egypt will also host delegations from Israel and Hamas tomorrow to discuss the anticipated exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, the country’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Hamas’ response to the plan drew a chorus of optimistic statements by world leaders, who urged an end to the deadliest conflict involving Israel since its creation in 1948 and called for the release of Israelis still held in the enclave.
Another possible boost to peace hopes came with a supportive statement from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which is smaller than Hamas but seen as more hardline.
The group, which also holds hostages, endorsed Hamas’ response – a move that could help pave the way for the release of Israelis still held by both parties.
Hamas’ stance, and its backing by Islamic Jihad, may raise the spirit of Gazans, who had watched one ceasefire effort after another fail as Israeli strikes hit the strip over the past two years, creating a humanitarian crisis and displacing millions.
Some Palestinians expressed fear that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who heads Israel’s most far-right government ever, will ultimately withdraw from any plan to end the war.
Netanyahu’s office said Israel was preparing for “immediate implementation” of the first stage of Trump’s Gaza plan for the release of Israeli hostages following Hamas’ response.
Domestically, the prime minister is caught between growing pressure to end the war – from hostage families and a war-weary public – and demands from hardline members of his coalition who insist there must be no let-up in Israel’s campaign in Gaza.
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