Saturday, March 29, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday advised Israel to stop bombing Gaza, following Hamas’s announcement that it had partially agreed to his proposed peace framework. The Palestinian group confirmed its willingness to release Israeli hostages as part of the arrangement, in exchange for a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
After Hamas issued its statement, Trump shared his reaction on his Truth Social platform. “I believe they (Hamas) are ready for permanent peace,” he wrote. “Israel should immediately halt bombing Gaza so that we can return the hostages safely and quickly. At this moment, it is extremely dangerous to proceed otherwise. We are already discussing the necessary steps in detail. This is not just about Gaza—it is about the entire Middle East, which urgently needs lasting peace.”
Earlier, Hamas had announced conditional support for Trump’s Gaza peace proposal. Reports indicated the group agreed to release all Israeli hostages captured since October 7, 2023, and demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Hamas also signaled readiness to cede control of Gaza to a joint committee formed under the agreement. However, the group expressed objections on several points, saying it was willing to negotiate them through intermediaries.
Hamas’s announcement came after Trump had issued a stark warning, telling the group to accept the deal or be prepared to “face hell.” He had set a deadline of Sunday, 6 p.m. (U.S. time) for their response.
Reacting to the statement, Trump posted a video thanking countries involved in brokering the talks. “I want to thank all the nations that helped us reach this point—Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and many others. Today is a historic day. We must continue to strengthen this deal. I am thrilled that the hostages will finally return home after such a long time. Some of them are in very difficult conditions, but they will reunite with their families. We still need more consensus, but this is a major step toward ending this war and bringing peace to the Middle East. Everyone has an equal say in this deal,” he said.
