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Trump tells Israel to stop bombing Gaza after Hamas agrees to release Israeli hostages
Palestinians watch smoke billowing during Israeli strikes upon arrival on a coastal path northwest of Nuseirat refugee camp as they are displaced southward from Wadi Gaza on Wednesday. Israel's defense minister issued a final warning for Gaza City residents to flee south this week as the Palestinian Hamas movement weighed the latest U.S. plan to end nearly two years of war in the Palestinian territory.
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Bashar Taleb
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AFP via Getty Images
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President Donald Trump is telling Israel it "must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza" so that Hamas can follow through on its promise to release the remaining Israeli hostages.
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.
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.
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"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."
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. Eastern on Sunday to reply to the plan, which Israel 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 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.
It was unclear whether Israel would accept Hamas' partial acceptance of the agreement, as Trump had.
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Earlier this week, Israel ordered 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."
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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