Trump forecasts ‘lasting peace’ as Israel and Hamas agree to ceasefire
“It’s a complicated process to get them. I’d rather not tell you what they have to do to get them. They’re places you don’t want to be.”
Trump spoke in Washington DC on Thursday afternoon (4am AEDT on Friday) following several days of talks at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where his envoys met with representatives from Israel, Hamas, Qatar, Turkey and Egypt.
Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip hold posters with portraits of their loved ones in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv.Credit: access point
Palestinians celebrate after the peace plan announcement in front of Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Thursday.Credit: access point
Asked whether Hamas would disarm, Trump said it would be part of “phase two” of the peace plan and did not provide specific details. “There will be disarmament,” he told reporters. Hamas is considered a terrorist group in Australia and many other countries.
Trump drew sharp criticism in some quarters in February by calling Gaza a “big real estate site” and suggesting it could be developed after Palestinians are sent elsewhere, but on Thursday he said no one would be forced to leave Gaza under the peace plan.
Exiled Hamas Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya said on Thursday that the group had received assurances from the United States, Arab mediators and Türkiye that the war in Gaza had ended permanently.
US President Donald Trump said the hostages held in Gaza “should be released on Monday or Tuesday.”Credit: Bloomberg
He said Israel and Hamas had “reached an agreement to end the war and the attack on our people” and had received confirmation that the initial pause would lead to a permanent ceasefire.
Another Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, told Qatari broadcaster Al Araby that Hamas had rejected a proposal for a “peace board” to govern Gaza, including former British prime minister Tony Blair, which was a key element of the 20-point plan Trump announced on September 30.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also signaled high hopes that an agreement would be reached before holding a security cabinet meeting and a full cabinet meeting to decide on the terms his government is willing to accept.
“We have reached a critical point in this war,” spokesman Shosh Bedrosyan said in a televised statement.
There was jubilation in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on Thursday.Credit: access point
“From the first day of this war, the prime minister set three goals: the return of all our hostages, the defeat and disbandment of Hamas, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.
“All of the Prime Minister’s goals have now been achieved.”
Bedrosyan said Netanyahu has approved the first phase of the peace plan and expects the release of all 48 hostages, some of whom died in captivity after being captured in the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
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The ceasefire is expected to begin 24 hours after the Israeli cabinet meeting.
However, Bedrosyan described the terms as the approved “first phase” of the peace plan and made clear that further agreements would be required for a permanent end to hostilities.
He said hospitals were ready to accept hostages as of Monday and that Hamas “parading” Israeli prisoners, as it has done in the past, would not be tolerated.
Families of the hostages applauded the peace talks and praised Trump for the results achieved so far, but former hostage Omar Shem Tov warned that it was too early to predict the outcome.
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“I must say with all joy and happiness that this is not over yet,” said Shem Tov, who was detained by Hamas for 505 days after being kidnapped at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.
“Let’s keep praying, let’s send positive energy, let’s keep fighting until they all come back.”
Israel will not release the remains of Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and his brother Mohammed, CNN reported Thursday. He also said that high-profile Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti, who has been detained for more than two decades for his role in the killing of Israeli civilians, would not be released.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in securing peace, just as Norwegian officials were preparing to announce this year’s prize winner in Oslo on Friday.
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However, the rapid developments in the Gaza talks are unlikely to affect the award because the Norwegian Nobel Committee said the decision on this year’s winner has already been made.
“The last meeting of the Nobel Committee took place on Monday,” Norwegian Nobel Institute spokesman Erik Aasheim told Agence France Press.
Netanyahu’s office wrote on social media: “Give Donald Trump the Nobel Peace Prize, he deserves it!” He supported Trump for the award by saying.
According to Anadolu Agency, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi also said that Trump “deserves the Nobel Peace Prize” for the peace agreement.
Trump said that he was asked to give a speech at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, during his visit to the Middle East.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for Trump’s plan when he emerged from a meeting in Paris with foreign ministers from France, Egypt, Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain.
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