Trump orders Israel to 'immediately' stop bombardment of Gaza as Hamas agrees to release all hostages

US President Donald Trump asked Israel to “immediately” stop the bombardment of Gaza after Hamas partially accepted his ultimatum to end the war that has been raging on for nearly two years. On late Friday, Hamas agreed to release all hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

The Palestinian group also agreed to surrender governing power in the Gaza Strip, in accordance with Trump’s plan, marking a major moment for Gaza’s future. In a statement over the matter, Hamas asked for further negotiations on other parts of the plan, and did not say whether it would lay down its arms – a key part of Trump’s proposal unveiled on Monday.

Despite this lack of clarity, Trump wrote a post on TruthSocial in which he noted: “Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE." He went on to ask Israel to stop bombing Gaza.

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“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 the details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone; this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East," the American leader wrote in the TruthSocial post.

Is the Israel-Hamas war ending?

The latest assertions from Trump underlined that Israel and Hamas are the closest they have been in two years to achieving an end to the Gaza war, which has caused a major humanitarian crisis in the coastal enclave.

Trump is widely seen as the only international leader with the power to compel the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to agree to a ceasefire deal. In their Friday statement, Hamas said it was giving its “approval of releasing all occupation prisoners – both living and remains – according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump’s proposal, with the necessary field conditions for implementing the exchange."

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The Palestinian group also maintained that it was willing to turn over “the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independent technocrats based on Palestinian national consensus and supported by Arab and Islamic backing”.

However, Hamas made it clear that “other issues” in Trump’s proposal would need to be discussed further “within a unified Palestinian national framework”. While the issue is not specified, it is likely to include arms, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and international guarantees for a permanent ceasefire.

Trump’s ultimatum

It is pertinent to note that Trump’s plan called for an immediate end to fighting in Gaza, an exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners within 72 hours of the deal’s signing, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and a transitional authority led by Trump.

The American leader’s proposal also called for a surge of aid to Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine, and the reconstruction of the mostly demolished strip. While the deal was largely seen as unfavourable to Hamas, there has been international pressure on the group to accept the plan, with most regional and global powers welcoming the Trump initiative.

While Hamas immediately did not agree to disarm, its acceptance of a hostage handover will be seen as significant. 48 hostages have been used as leverage throughout the nearly two-year war. Hence, giving them up would leave the group with few bargaining chips going forward.