Hamas says it's willing to release the remaining Israeli hostages as part of President Donald Trump's peace plan, a development that, according to Trump, sets the stage for an end to the war in Gaza. Still, plenty of questions remain over the plan's implementation.
Trump first gave Hamas a deadline of 6 p.m. Sunday to accept his proposal or face "all HELL." The terror outfit responded shortly thereafter with a statement of its own, which announced Hamas's "approval of releasing" all hostages "according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump's proposal." That seemed to satiate Trump—though he acknowledged that there were still details to work out.
"Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post sent Friday evening that called on Israel to "stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly." He followed up in a taped address from the Oval Office.
"This is a big day, we'll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down in concrete," Trump said. "Everybody was unified in wanting this war to end and seeing peace in the Middle East, and we're very close to achieving that."
Pro-Israel groups like StandWithUs reacted positively to the potential release of all remaining hostages. They also expressed caution, pointing out differences between Trump's plan and Hamas's response to it.
Hamas made clear, for example, that the hostage exchange will only take place once Israel implements "the necessary field conditions." To achieve them, Hamas proposed enlisting "mediators into negotiations to discuss the details," talks that could drag out the exchange process. Trump has said that all hostages must be released within 72 hours of inking a deal, a timeline that Hamas leader Musa Abu Marzouk called "unrealistic."
Hamas also said that it is willing to hand over control of Gaza to "a Palestinian independent technocratic authority" that is based on the "Palestinian national consensus" without providing details. It did not address a provision in Trump's plan that calls for Hamas to disarm.
Qatar, Hamas's top patron and peace mediator, welcomed the terror group's response to Trump's plan, saying that it has "begun working with its partners" in Egypt and the United States "to complete discussions on the plan to ensure an end to the war."
Arab nations reportedly launched a full-court press to convince Hamas that it should take the deal, which Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to during a White House appearance alongside Trump on Monday. Hamas was reportedly divided internally over Trump's plan and intended to avoid issuing a "take it or leave it" response.
Trump called on Hamas to do just that in a Friday morning statement posted to Truth Social.
"RELEASE THE HOSTAGES, ALL OF THEM, INCLUDING THE BODIES OF THOSE THAT ARE DEAD, NOW!" he wrote.
"An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. 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."
Under the terms of the proposal, which Trump unveiled during his Monday appearance with Netanyahu, Hamas "and other factions" must agree "to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form." Terrorists who "commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons" will receive amnesty, with Israel guaranteeing "safe passage" to third-party countries.
Additionally, "all military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt," according to the draft plan.
