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How Donald Trump reacted to Hamas statement on Israeli hostages: ‘Too dangerous to…’
US President Donald Trump welcomed Hamas's move to release hostages from the October 2023 attack and called for an end to Israel's bombing of Gaza.
US President Donald Trump on Friday reacted to Hamas's decision to release the last of the hostages from its 2023 attack on Israel and ordered Israel to stop bombing the Gaza Strip.
Hamas said it had accepted some elements of his plan to end the nearly two-year war and return all the remaining hostages taken in the October 7, 2023, attack.
Donald Trump responded favourably to the Hamas statement even though the terrorist group failed to address other key elements of his 20-point proposal that Israel has also demanded, including that it disarm.
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“Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!” Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social.
“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 added.
What did Hamas say?
While agreeing to release the last of the hostages, Hamas said other aspects of the plan require further consultations among Palestinians. Senior Hamas officials suggested there were still major disagreements that required further negotiations.
Hamas said aspects of the proposal touching on the future of the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rights should be decided on the basis of a “unanimous Palestinian stance” reached with other factions and based on international law.
Also Read | What is Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan that Hamas partly agreed to? Full 20-point list
The statement also made no mention of Hamas disarming, a key Israeli demand included in Trump’s proposal.
Trump appears keen to deliver on pledges to end the war and return dozens of hostages ahead of the second anniversary of the attack on Tuesday.
How Israel reacted
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was prepared for the implementation of the “first stage” of Trump's plan, apparently referring to the release of hostages.
But his office said, in a statement, that Israel was committed to ending the war based on principles it has set out before, without addressing potential gaps with Hamas.
Mediators welcome Hamas' move
Key mediators Egypt and Qatar welcomed the latest move, and Majed Al Ansari, a spokesman for Qatar's foreign ministry, said they would “continue discussions on the plan".
A spokesman for UN secretary-general António Guterres said he “urges all parties to seize the opportunity to bring the tragic conflict in Gaza to an end".
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media that “the release of all hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza are within reach!”
Trump's warning to Hamas
Earlier, Trump had warned that Hamas must agree to the deal by Sunday evening, threatening an even greater military onslaught.
“If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas," Trump wrote Friday on social media. "THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.”
Under the plan, which Trump unveiled earlier this week alongside Netanyahu, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages, around 20 of them believed to be alive, within three days. It would also give up power and disarm.
In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of the territory, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction. Plans to relocate much of Gaza's population to other countries would be shelved.
(With inputs from agencies)
