Israel said to view Hamas’ partial response negatively, feels pressured by Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Hamas has agreed to his proposal for ending the war in Gaza, declaring that he believed the terror group is “ready for a lasting PEACE” in a social media post late Friday evening.
“Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East,” Trump wrote.
Earlier, Hamas had issued a response that didn’t embrace all aspects of the proposed deal, but claimed it “affirms its readiness to immediately enter, via the mediators, into negotiations to discuss the details.”
In Israel, the statement was widely interpreted as a “Yes, but,” instead of a full agreement.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was surprised by Trump’s interpretation of the response. His statement was cautiously worded to state that “Israel is preparing for the immediate implementation of the first stage of President Trump’s plan” without committing itself fully.
Senior Israeli officials told Army Radio that Israel does not view Hamas’ response as a full agreement, saying Trump “left Israel no choice.” The officials added that the issue will be resolved within a few days, indicating that Israel is not ready to resume broad and lengthy negotiations.
Despite his enthusiastic statement in text, Trump is apparently aware of Hamas’ questionable formulation. In a later video statement, he noted that “We have to get the final word down in concrete.”
“This is a big day. We’ll see how it all turns out,” Trump said, “We were given a tremendous amount of help. Everybody was unified in wanting this war to end and seeing peace in the Middle East, and we’re very close to achieving that.”
Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nounou told AFP that Trump’s “statements on the immediate cessation of Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip are encouraging, and Hamas is ready to immediately begin negotiations to achieve a prisoner exchange, end the war and ensure the withdrawal of the (Israeli) army from the Gaza Strip.”
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad affirmed in a statement that Hamas’ response expressed the position of the “Palestinian resistance forces,” signaling it would follow the larger terror group’s lead.
The mediators also praised Hamas’ statement.
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said Qatar and its fellow mediator Egypt have begun talks in coordination with the U.S. to “complete discussions on the plan to ensure an end to the war.”
Egypt’s foreign ministry said Hamas’ response reflected the terror group’s willingness to spare additional Palestinian civilians and to “end a dark period in the region’s history.”
On Saturday, an Israeli negotiating team was preparing to set out for Cairo (not Doha) for new talks, while White House envoy Steve Witkoff was reportedly on his way as well.
Channel 12 reported that Israeli security officials had already begun drawing up the list of prisoners who are set to be released by Israel in exchange for the hostages. The details of the withdrawal maps are also still in dispute.
In its statement, Hamas said that it had “conducted in-depth consultations within its leadership bodies, extensive consultations with Palestinian forces and factions, and with the brotherly mediators and friends, to reach a responsible position” regarding Trump’s plan.
The group noted it “valued” the efforts of Trump, as well as the Arab and Muslim states to end the Gaza War.
“In this context, and in a manner that ensures the end of the war and the complete withdrawal from the Strip, the movement announces its approval to release all Israeli captives — both living and deceased — in accordance with the exchange formula outlined in President Trump’s proposal, and conditional upon the provision of field conditions necessary for the exchange process,” the group said, adding it was ready to immediately “discuss the details.”
Hamas also “renews its approval to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body composed of independents (technocrats), based on Palestinian national consensus and supported by Arab and Islamic backing.”
Notably, the terror group did not mention any willingness to disarm, but added that regarding “other issues mentioned,” they would “be discussed within a comprehensive Palestinian national framework, in which Hamas will participate and to which it will contribute responsibly.”
This statement was enthusiastically welcomed by Western leaders. French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X: “The release of all hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza are within reach!”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz agreed that “peace in Gaza and the release of the hostages are within reach,” adding that Trump’s plan is “the best chance for peace.”
On Saturday morning, Israeli media reported that the Israel Defense Forces were ordered to halt offensive operations as part of Operation Gideon’s Chariots II.
The IDF announced that the political echelon had instructed it to “advance readiness for the implementation of the first phase of the Trump plan for the release of the hostages.”
“The Chief of Staff noted that, given the operational sensitivity, all troops must maintain high alertness and vigilance, in addition to reinforcing the need for a rapid response to neutralize any threat.”
This article was originally published at All Israel News
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