The Sun
DONALD Trump has demanded that Israel stop bombing Gaza after Hamas agreed to release all the remaining hostages - including those who have died.
In a post on Truth Social, the President said he believes the terror group is "ready for a lasting peace".
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He said: "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."
Hamas said it agreed to release all prisoners, living and dead, under the formula proposed in Trump's peace deal.
The terror group said: "In this context, the movement affirms its readiness to immediately enter into negotiations through the mediators to discuss the details of this."
Trump, who gave Hamas a 48-hour deadline to accept the peace deal, has reposted Hamas' statement on his Truth Social account - and is now expected to give a response.
However, the terror group has not entirely agreed to the peace deal, saying it wants to be part of the government following the war.
Senior Hamas mouthpiece Mousa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera that the group will not disarm - one of the key points of Trump's peace deal - until the Israeli "occupation" ends.
The radical terror group also did not agree to an Israeli withdrawal in stages, as opposed to the immediate, full withdrawal Hamas demands.
And it demanded that issues over Gaza's future should be discussed within a comprehensive Palestinian national framework, which Hamas will be part of.
Tony Blair's Gaza Rebuilding Plan: Backed by Trump Allies After War
But Trump has ruled that out, with Israel saying in no way can the terror group remain in power for peace to occur.
It comes just hours after Trump warned the Islamic terror outfit "all hell will break loose" if they do not agree to his peace plan, giving it 48 hours to decide.
Hamas said it was ready "to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats) based on Palestinian national consensus and supported by Arab and Islamic backing."
It has previously offered to release all hostages and to hand over administration of the Gaza Strip to a different body.
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The 20-point peace plan proposes an immediate end to fighting and the release within 72 hours of living Israeli hostages held by Hamas - as well as the remains of hostages thought to be dead.
Nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners will be freed from Israeli prisons in exchange.
Hamas's political leadership, based in Qatar, are said to be open to accepting it - but with amendments.
Although they have been unable to hold sway, as they do not have control of Israeli hostages - whose fate plays a crucial part in the deal.
Announcing the hard deadline, Trump blared on Truth Social site: "If this last chance agreement is not reached, all hell, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.
“There will be peace in the Middle East one way or the other.”
Some Hamas fighters - now completely surrounded in their last Gaza City stronghold - had appeared unwilling to hand over their last remaining bargaining chip.
Israel has already backed the blueprint, which involves an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and Hamas disarmament.
A successful ceasefire could then pave the way for 48 hostages - of whom just 20 are believed to be alive - to be released from Gaza terror tunnels after two years in hell.
A truce - if it holds - could also allow vital humanitarian aid to flood into the besieged coastal strip, where Hamas says more than 66,000 Palestinians have died in fighting.
A new “Board of Peace” chaired by the US president and run by former UK PM Tony Blair would then move in to rebuild the strip before peace-loving Palestinians take over.
Earlier this week, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the most senior Hamas military commander still in Gaza, told the BBC that Trump’s plan “serves Israel’s interests and ignores those of the Palestinian people”.
Israel is currently expanding its offensive in Gaza City, said to be the last Hamas stronghold, and is warning all civilians there to move south.
Defence Minister Israel Katz warned this week that anyone who stays behind will be considered "terrorists and terror supporters".
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Trump reinforced that message, urging: "I am asking that all innocent Palestinians immediately leave this area of potentially great future death for safer parts of Gaza.
"Everyone will be well cared for by those that are waiting to help."
If Hamas agrees, Tony Blair and Donald Trump will jointly govern Gaza on a Board of Peace until the Palestinian Authority is in shape to take over.
Trump said his blueprint had secured backing from the Muslim and Arab leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Egypt.
However, Pakistan today distanced itself from the terms, insisting they had been edited since Trump shared it with those leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Trump's 20-point peace plan in full
1. Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.
2. Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.
3. If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end. Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed upon line to prepare for a hostage release. During this time, all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal.
4. Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned.
5. Once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1700 Gazans who were detained after October 7th 2023, including all women and children detained in that context. For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans.
6. Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.
7. Upon acceptance of this agreement, full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip. At a minimum, aid quantities will be consistent with what was included in the January 19, 2025, agreement regarding humanitarian aid, including rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads.
8. Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference from the two parties through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international institutions not associated in any manner with either party. Opening the Rafah crossing in both directions will be subject to the same mechanism implemented under the January 19, 2025 agreement.
9. Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza. This committee will be made up of qualified Palestinians and international experts, with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, the “Board of Peace,” which will be headed and chaired by President Donald J. Trump, with other members and heads of State to be announced, including Former Prime Minister Tony Blair. This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program, as outlined in various proposals, including President Trump’s peace plan in 2020 and the Saudi-French proposal, and can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza. This body will call on best international standards to create modern and efficient governance that serves the people of Gaza and is conducive to attracting investment.
10. A Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza will be created by convening a panel of experts who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East. Many thoughtful investment proposals and exciting development ideas have been crafted by well-meaning international groups, and will be considered to synthesize the security and governance frameworks to attract and facilitate these investments that will create jobs, opportunity, and hope for future Gaza.
11. A special economic zone will be established with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries.
12. No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.
13. Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form. All military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt. There will be a process of demilitarization of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing weapons permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning, and supported by an internationally funded buy back and reintegration program all verified by the independent monitors. New Gaza will be fully committed to building a prosperous economy and to peaceful coexistence with their neighbors.
14. A guarantee will be provided by regional partners to ensure that Hamas, and the factions, comply with their obligations and that New Gaza poses no threat to its neighbors or its people.
15. The United States will work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) to immediately deploy in Gaza. The ISF will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and will consult with Jordan and Egypt who have extensive experience in this field. This force will be the long-term internal security solution. The ISF will work with Israel and Egypt to help secure border areas, along with newly trained Palestinian police forces. It is critical to prevent munitions from entering Gaza and to facilitate the rapid and secure flow of goods to rebuild and revitalize Gaza. A deconfliction mechanism will be agreed upon by the parties.
16. Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza. As the ISF establishes control and stability, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will withdraw based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization that will be agreed upon between the IDF, ISF, the guarantors, and the Unites States, with the objective of a secure Gaza that no longer poses a threat to Israel, Egypt, or its citizens. Practically, the IDF will progressively hand over the Gaza territory it occupies to the ISF according to an agreement they will make with the transitional authority until they are withdrawn completely from Gaza, save for a security perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat.
17. In the event Hamas delays or rejects this proposal, the above, including the scaled-up aid operation, will proceed in the terror-free areas handed over from the IDF to the ISF.
18. An interfaith dialogue process will be established based on the values of tolerance and peaceful co-existence to try and change mindsets and narratives of Palestinians and Israelis by emphasizing the benefits that can be derived from peace.
19. While Gaza re-development advances and when the PA reform program is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people.
20. The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence.