Trump hails Hamas’ promise to release all Gaza hostages

Washington:  US President Donald Trump welcomed Hamas’ decision to release all hostages from Gaza, saying it’s “a big day” and he looked “forward to having the hostages come home to their parents.”

“I just want to let you know that this is a very special day. In many ways, it is unprecedented, but thank you all, and thank you all to those great countries that helped. We’re very close to achieving that. We’ll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down in concrete,” Trump said in a video address.

In a separate Truth Social post, Trump said Israel “must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!,” adding that he believed that Hamas was “ready for a lasting PEACE.”

Trump’s statements come after Hamas announced plans to free all Israeli hostages held in Gaza and hand over the bodies of captives.

In a statement on the social media site Telegram, Hamas said, “the movement affirms its readiness to immediately enter into negotiations through the mediators to discuss the details of this agreement.”

It also agreed to hand over Gaza’s administration to a “Palestinian body of independent technocrats, based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support.”

Around 48 people are believed to remain in captivity, and about 20 are thought to be alive.

Hamas made its decision public hours after US President Donald Trump gave an ultimatum to the group to sign his Gaza peace plan by Sunday or “all hell will break out.”

In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump posted, “An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, DC time. Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas,” he said.

Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza outlines the establishment of a temporary technocratic government, with Israel pledging not to annex the Strip and ensuring that no residents are forced to leave. The agreement calls for an immediate end to the war if accepted, with all captives, both alive and deceased, returned within 72 hours.

The government in Gaza will be overseen by a new international transitional body, the “Board of Peace,” which will be chaired by Trump and other members, including former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until the Palestinian Authority complete a reform program to take back control.

Hamas members who commit to peace would receive amnesty, while others would be offered safe passage abroad. Security in Gaza will be overseen by regional and international forces, who would also help train Palestinian police, while aid would flow in at agreed levels. The US would facilitate further dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians to support long-term coexistence.

The war in Gaza began almost two years ago, when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel retaliated with air strikes and a ground invasion. More than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed, and much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble.

–IANS