Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned he hopes to announce the discharge of all hostages from Gaza “within the coming days,” after Hamas mentioned it has agreed to components of the peace plan that President Trump outlined earlier this week.
In a short assertion late Saturday, Netanyahu mentioned he has despatched a delegation to Egypt “to finalize technical particulars,” including that “our objective is to include these negotiations to a timeframe of some days.”
However Netanyahu signaled there wouldn’t be a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, one thing Hamas has lengthy demanded.
On Friday, Hamas mentioned in a press release that whereas they agreed to components of the peace deal, together with the demand to launch all hostages in alternate for Palestinian prisoners, the group steered different parts of the deal ought to be topic to negotiation.
A U.S. official advised CBS Information america views Hamas’ response as optimistic, although there are particulars that also have to be hammered out, such because the decommissioning of weapons, which can start as quickly as subsequent week.
After Hamas launched its assertion, Mr. Trump mentioned on Truth Social that he believes the group is “prepared for a long-lasting PEACE.” He pushed Israel to stop hostilities within the Gaza Strip.
“Israel should instantly cease the bombing of Gaza, in order that we are able to get the Hostages out safely and shortly! Proper now, it’s miles too harmful to try this. We’re already in discussions on particulars to be labored out,” the president wrote.
“In gentle of Hamas’s response, Israel is making ready to instantly implement the primary part of Trump’s plan for the instant launch of all hostages,” a press release launched by Netanyahu’s workplace early Saturday morning native time learn. “We’ll proceed to work in full cooperation with the President and his workforce to finish the warfare in accordance with the ideas set forth by Israel which are in step with President Trump’s imaginative and prescient.”
Khames Alrefi/Anadolu through Getty Photos
In a separate assertion, the Israel Protection Forces mentioned that its high-level army officers held a gathering in a single day, by which Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the IDF chief of employees, “instructed to advance readiness for the implementation of the primary part of the Trump plan for the discharge of the hostages.”
An Israeli political supply advised CBS Information that the cessation of the IDF’s exercise within the Gaza Strip is meant to permit Hamas to start organizing for the discharge of the hostages. The supply added that this isn’t an official ceasefire that might require Hamas to return the hostages inside 72 hours, as outlined within the plan.
“This isn’t the start of a withdrawal, though there could also be tactical enhancements for the aim of defending our troopers,” the supply added. “We’re continually analyzing what is going on on the bottom and won’t enable the terrorist organizations to attempt to make the most of the chance and perform a last-minute assault, or to strengthen their grip on the bottom.”
The supply mentioned the negotiations are anticipated to start on Sunday.
In the meantime, one other supply accustomed to Israel’s negotiation workforce advised CBS Information that it was on the point of journey.
U.S. particular envoy to the Center East, Steve Witkoff, is ready to journey to Egypt for the talks, a senior U.S. official confirmed to CBS Information. Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, can also be anticipated to attend. CBS Information has reached out to the White Home for extra particulars.
In a video posted to Truth Social later Friday, Mr. Trump referred to as the deal “unprecedented in some ways” and thanked a number of Arab and majority Muslim international locations that assisted with the deal as mediators, together with Qatar and Egypt.
“It is a huge day,” Mr. Trump mentioned within the video. “We’ll see the way it all seems. Now we have to get the ultimate phrase down and concrete.”
On Saturday, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the second strongest militant group in Gaza, mentioned it accepted Hamas’ response to the Trump plan. The group had beforehand rejected the proposal days earlier.
Hamas says it is keen to launch hostages, hand over management of Gaza
Hamas mentioned it’s keen to launch all residing hostages and the stays of deceased hostages “in accordance with the alternate components set forth in President Trump’s proposal.” The proposal laid out by the White Home referred to as for Hamas to launch all hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023, inside 72 hours, and for Israel to launch 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1,700 different Gazans who have been detained following the beginning of the battle.
The deal additionally referred to as for a direct finish to combating if each side settle for the deal, and for Israel’s army to withdraw to an “agreed upon line.”
Hamas additionally mentioned it’s keen to “hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian physique of independents (technocrats), based mostly on Palestinian nationwide consensus and with the assist of Arab and Islamic events” — one other portion of Mr. Trump’s proposal.
A senior Egyptian official advised the AP that talks are underway for the discharge of hostages, in addition to tons of of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention. The official, who’s concerned within the ceasefire negotiations, additionally mentioned Arab mediators are making ready for a complete dialogue amongst Palestinians. The talks are geared toward unifying the Palestinian place towards Gaza’s future.
The group was much less clear on different parts of the deal. The assertion mentioned some features of Mr. Trump’s proposal “stay linked to a complete nationwide stance, grounded in related worldwide legal guidelines and resolutions.” It mentioned these points will have to be mentioned “inside an inclusive Palestinian nationwide framework” that features Hamas.
It is not clear if Hamas has agreed that it’s going to play no position within the governance of Gaza, which was one provision of Mr. Trump’s proposal.
The plan, unveiled Sept. 29 by Mr. Trump and backed by Netanyahu, referred to as for Hamas to free all remaining Israeli hostages and for the Israeli army to start withdrawing from components of the Gaza Strip in phases, beginning with an preliminary withdrawal earlier than the hostages are freed. It additionally proposed handing over components of Gaza to a “technocratic” Palestinian committee and deploying a short lived safety power backed by Arab states.
Netanyahu, who joined Mr. Trump for a joint information convention on the White Home when the 20-point proposal was introduced, had mentioned he helps the plan, and that if Hamas doesn’t settle for the provide, “Israel will end the job by itself.”
“We’re giving all people an opportunity to have this performed peacefully,” Netanyahu had mentioned, warning Hamas what would occur in the event that they did not conform to the proposal. “But when Hamas rejects your plan, Mr. President, or in the event that they supposedly settle for it after which mainly do the whole lot to counter it, then Israel will end the job by itself. This may be performed the straightforward method or it may be performed the onerous method, however it is going to be performed.”
The president advised Netanyahu on Monday that if Hamas have been to reject the proposal, “you’d have our full backing to do what you would need to do.“
Mr. Trump had mentioned his objective is to make sure a “sustainable, long-term peace.” The president on Monday additionally mentioned he and Netanyahu have been “ready for signatures and ready for approvals from numerous totally different international locations which are concerned on this.”
Israel and Hamas have been at warfare since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 folks and taking 251 hostages. Since then, Israel has waged an intense aerial bombardment and floor marketing campaign within the Gaza Strip. Greater than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed, in line with the Hamas-run Gaza Well being Ministry, which doesn’t specify how most of the lifeless have been civilians or militants.
Some 50 hostages are nonetheless in Gaza, fewer than half of whom are believed to be alive, in line with Israeli authorities.
Claire Day, Margaret Brennan, Lucia Suarez Sang and Melissa Gaffney contributed to this report.
