Trump tells Israel to stop bombing Gaza after Hamas agrees to release Israeli hostages

Israel's military is temporarily dialing down some of its military operations in Gaza in order to allow Hamas to locate 48 hostages, some of whom have died. On Friday, President Donald Trump said that Israel "must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza" so that Hamas can follow through on its promise to release the remaining Israeli hostages.

Following Trump's announcement, Israeli leaders ordered the country's military to reduce its activity in Gaza "to a minimum" and to carry out defensive actions only, a person briefed by an Israeli official told NPR. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the plan publicly.

Gaza residents reported continued shelling overnight and at least three airstrikes throughout Saturday morning.

Hamas said it would release all Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, as set out in Trump's 20-point plan this week to end the war in Gaza.

However, because many of the hostages have since died, locating and digging up their remains may take longer than the 72-hours allotted, Hamas officials have warned.

In a statement the Palestinian militant group said, "The movement announces its agreement to release all Israeli prisoners, both living and dead, according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump's proposal, provided the field conditions for the exchange are met." It said that other parts of the Trump proposal "require further consultations among Palestinians."

Trump then called for Israel to stop its bombing campaign in a post on Truth Social .

"Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE," Trump wrote. "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."

Israel's prime minister's office said in a statement that "following Hamas's response, Israel is preparing for the immediate implementation of the first stage of President Trump's plan for the immediate release of all the hostages."

The plan unveiled earlier this week called for a ceasefire if Hamas agreed to release all 48 hostages it still held following its attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, with Hamas handing over the captives — around 20 of who are believed to still be alive — within 72 hours.

In a post to Truth Social on Friday morning, Trump said he was giving Hamas a "last chance," or Hamas fighters would be "quickly extinguished." He said they would have until 6 p.m. ET on Sunday to reply to the plan, which Israel had already said it agrees to.

"If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas," Trump wrote .

The White House released its 20-point plan on Monday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Trump. The plan would immediately end Israel's war in Gaza and provide more aid to Gaza in addition to requiring the release of the hostages.

Earlier this week, Israel ordered an estimated 200,000 remaining Palestinians in Gaza to leave Gaza City and move south. Those who stay, the defense ministry said, would be considered a militant or "supporter of terror."

Despite the pause in military activity, the Israeli military said it would maintain its encirclement of Gaza City in the north and warned residents that "attempting to return to it poses a significant risk."

Gaza's Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal warned residents in an audio message that returning to areas where the Israeli military had withdrawn from was still extremely dangerous and said his civil defense teams were awaiting an official ceasefire announcement from the U.S. administration before moving in. "Only then can we begin operating under an agreed-upon field plan. Until then, we do not know the exact lines of withdrawal," said Basal. "The army's latest statement indicates it is now relying on defensive fire, which means shooting anyone who gets close. These are critical hours—we pray this hardship ends soon."

The United Nations agency coordinating humanitarian efforts in the region said this week it had "received reports of intense strikes in recent days in parts of Deir al Balah, one of the places where people have been told to move. Tents, houses and even a crowded market have been hit, with the UN Human Rights Office reporting that many of those killed appear to be civilians."

The U.N. said that displacement sites in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis are currently hosting more than half a million people. On Friday it called the peace plan a "window of opportunity" for aid to come back in and for hostages to be released.

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