Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Saturday that Israel was seeking the "immediate implementation" of US President Donald Trump's plan to free Israeli hostages in Gaza, after Hamas said it was ready for peace talks.
"In light of Hamas's response, Israel is preparing for the immediate implementation of the first stage of the Trump plan for the release of all the hostages," Netanyahu's office said in a statement, AFP reported.
"We will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles set out by Israel, which align with President Trump's vision."
Several explosions illuminated Gaza’s night sky in the early hours of Saturday, October 4, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s directive for Israel to immediately halt bombings.
U.S. President Donald Trump urged Israel to immediately halt bombings in Gaza to ensure the safe and swift release of hostages, stressing that negotiations were already in progress and that the issue extended beyond Gaza to broader Middle East peace.
“Hamas’s statement shows they are ready for lasting peace. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the hostages out safely and quickly! This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long-sought peace in the Middle East,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Hamas announced on Friday night that it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or deceased, under the terms of Trump’s Gaza proposal, and indicated its readiness to enter mediated talks to finalise the deal, Reuters reported.
The group said it would “release all Israeli prisoners, both living and dead, according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump’s proposal,” provided proper conditions are met. Hamas also reaffirmed its willingness to transfer power to a politically independent Palestinian authority and stated that key elements affecting Gaza’s future must be determined through a “unanimous Palestinian stance” in coordination with other factions, guided by international law.
Trump had warned Hamas of “unprecedented consequences” if it failed to accept the deal by Sunday, 6.00 pm Washington DC time.
(With Agency Inputs)
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