U.S. President Donald Trump celebrated what he described as a major step toward ending the war in Gaza, after Hamas announced its agreement to release all Israeli hostages under the terms of a U.S.-led peace initiative.
In a one-minute video posted on the White House’s social media accounts, Trump declared that negotiations were about to begin and pledged that “everyone will be treated fairly.”
He expressed hope that the hostages would soon be reunited with their families and thanked the countries involved in facilitating the process.
“This is unprecedented in many ways,” Trump said, adding, “Everyone has united in their desire to end this war for the good of the Middle East, and we are close to doing so.”
Hamas’s statement confirming its acceptance of the U.S. proposal prompted Trump to call on Israel to halt its bombing campaign in Gaza. The announcement also set in motion the first phase of the plan, as the Israeli government declared it was preparing to implement the agreement immediately by beginning the process of releasing hostages, reports Al-Jarida daily.
A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel would act “in full cooperation with President Trump and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles set forth by Israel, which are consistent with Trump’s vision for ending the war.”
The peace roadmap, unveiled Monday at the White House and endorsed by both Trump and Netanyahu, lays out a 20-point framework. It calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all Hamas-held hostages, and the establishment of a transitional governing authority in Gaza overseen jointly by the U.S. president and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The plan also envisions the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip and the possibility of future talks on Palestinian statehood — a prospect Netanyahu has previously rejected.
With both Israel and Hamas signaling readiness to move forward, attention now turns to whether the ambitious U.S.-brokered framework can translate into a lasting end to the conflict.
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