Israel strikes Gaza hours after Trump's peace call, Hamas nod to hostage release
Hamas said it is ready to begin talks after partly agreeing to Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan.
Hamas on Saturday said it is ready to begin talks to finalize all issues in the Gaza peace deal, proposed early this week by US President Donald Trump.
The comments came as Israel conducted airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, even as US-backed efforts to ease tensions continued. Local authorities said that six people were killed in the attacks, Reuters reported.
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza, responded to Trump’s 20-point plan after he gave the group Sunday deadline to accept it or face “grave consequences.”
The group accepted parts of the proposed plan to halt hostilities and securing the release of all remaining hostages taken during its October 7, 2023, attack.
‘Israel must stop’
On Friday, Trump said he believed Hamas had shown it was “ready for a lasting PEACE” and shifted responsibility to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
“Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Trump, who has positioned himself as the key figure capable of securing peace in Gaza, has poured significant political effort into ending the nearly two-year war that has killed tens of thousands and left Israel increasingly isolated internationally.
Israel ready to implement first phase
Netanyahu’s office, meanwhile, said early Saturday that Israel was preparing for the “immediate implementation” of the first stage of Trump’s Gaza plan, according to Reuters.
Shortly afterward, Israeli media reported that the country’s political leadership had directed the military to scale back offensive operations in Gaza.
The Israeli military chief of staff, in a statement, cited by the news agency, ordered forces to advance readiness for the first phase of Trump’s plan, without specifying whether this would involve a reduction in military activity.
According to Reuters, before Israel’s latest announcements, families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza urged Netanyahu “to immediately order negotiations for the return of all hostages.”
Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after the October 7, 2023 attack, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli figures. Israel says 48 hostages remain, 20 of whom are alive.
The military campaign has killed more than 66,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health authorities.
