'Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!' says US president

US President Donald Trump on Friday welcomed Hamas' response to his ceasefire and prisoner-exchange proposal, saying he believes the Palestinian group is "ready for a lasting peace."

"Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!" he said on his Truth Social platform. "Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East."

The US president separately issued a video message, thanking Tükriye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan "and so many others, so many people fought so hard."

"This is a big day. We'll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down in concrete," he said. "We were given a tremendous amount of help. Everybody was unified in wanting this war to end, and seeing peace in the Middle East, and we're very close to achieving that. Thank you all, and everybody will be treated fairly."

Hamas earlier issued its formal response to Trump's plan in which it approved the release of all Israeli captives, the delivery of the bodies of the deceased, and the handover of Gaza's administration to an independent technocratic Palestinian body.

Israel estimates that 48 Israeli captives are in Gaza, including 20 alive, while around 11,100 Palestinians are held in its prisons, suffering from torture, starvation and medical neglect, with many killed as a result, according to Palestinian and Israeli media and rights reports.

In a statement on Telegram, the Palestinian group said that “other issues raised in President Trump’s proposal concerning the future of the Gaza Strip and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people are tied to a unified national position based on relevant international laws and resolutions.”

A Palestinian source told Anadolu that Hamas formally delivered its response to Trump’s plan to mediators and requested clarifications on some clauses.

Hamas indicated that it had conducted “in-depth consultations within its leadership institutions and broad consultations with Palestinian forces and factions, as well as with mediators and friends, to reach a responsible position in dealing with US President Donald Trump’s plan.”

It added that it values “the Arab, Islamic, and international efforts, as well as those of US President Donald Trump, calling for an end to the war on the Gaza Strip, a prisoner exchange, the immediate entry of aid, the rejection of the occupation of the Strip, and the rejection of the displacement of our Palestinian people from it.”

Earlier Friday, Trump gave Hamas until 6 pm Washington time (2200GMT) on Sunday to approve his plan.

The plan seeks to turn Gaza into a weapons-free zone, with a transitional governance mechanism overseen directly by Trump through a new international body tasked with monitoring implementation.

It includes the release of all Israeli captives held by Hamas within 72 hours of approval, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

The plan mandates a halt to hostilities, disarming all armed groups in Gaza, and Israel’s gradual withdrawal from the war-torn coastal enclave, which is to be governed by a technocratic authority under the supervision of an international body led by the US president.

Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for nearly 18 years. It tightened the siege in March when it closed border crossings and blocked food and medicine deliveries, pushing the enclave into famine.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardment has killed nearly 66,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The UN and rights groups have repeatedly warned that the enclave is being rendered uninhabitable, with starvation and disease spreading rapidly amid widespread displacement. ??????? (AA)

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