Donald Trump on Sunday announced that Israel has agreed to an “initial withdrawal line" for Gaza, which has also been shared with Hamas.
In a post on his Truth Social handle, the US President said, “when Hamas confirms," a ceasefire will be effective “immediately" and a prisoner exchange will begin, setting the stage for the next phase of Israel’s withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave.
“After negotiations, Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which we have shown to, and shared with, Hamas. When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin," Trump wrote on his official handle.
On Friday, the Palestinian militant group reacted positively to Trump’s plan that would end two years of war, saying it was ready to release all hostages and discuss details on the deal.
Trump, in turn, called on Israel to “immediately" halt its bombings of the war-ravaged territory, although Washington’s chief ally in the region said Saturday its troops were still operating in Gaza.
Hours later, the enclave’s civil defence agency said at least 57 people have been killed since dawn in Israeli strikes, including 40 in Gaza City alone.
US ENVOYS HEAD TO MIDEAST
Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a senior envoy headed to Egypt on Saturday to finalise hostage release details, as the US President warned he would “not tolerate delay" by Hamas in implementing a peace plan with Israel.
A White House official confirmed to AFP that Jared Kushner and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff are travelling to the region to address the finalisation of details on the release of hostages and to discuss the deal pushed by Trump to bring an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
In an interview Saturday with Axios, Trump, highlighting his behind-the-scenes diplomacy, including with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had said a peace deal in Gaza was “close" and that he will push to have it finalised in the coming days.
“I said, ‘Bibi, this is your chance for victory.’ He was fine with it," Trump told the US publication. “He’s got to be fine with it. He has no choice. With me, you’ve got to be fine."
Trump also said his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was “very helpful" in urging Hamas to agree to the release of hostages.
“Erdogan helped a lot. He is a tough guy, but he is a friend of mine, and he was great," Trump said.
