Trump lauded by Hamas for Gaza peace talks | World | News
With the first hopeful signs that the brutal war in Gaza is over, US President Trump has been praised for his role in peace negotiations.
Some praise came from the expected quarters, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanking Trump “from the bottom of my heart” for ensuring the release of hostages held in Gaza. As part of the groundbreaking deal, 48 Israeli citizens will be released this weekend, only 20 of whom are believed to be still alive.
But Donald Trump was even the focus of praise from a group the United States has spent $21 billion in military aid to destroy: Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that has ruled the Gaza Strip since winning election in 2007 and violently ousted its rivals in the 141-square-mile territory.
Peace Prize goals
Throughout Trump’s second term, there has been speculation that the president has his sights set on the Nobel Peace Prize; This award was given to his predecessor, Barack Obama, in 2009 for his “outstanding efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”
Obama became the fourth US president to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, following Theodore Roosevelt (1906) and Woodrow Wilson (1919), who both received the award while in office, and Jimmy Carter (2002), who received the award 21 years after leaving the White House.
Trump’s long-running bounty campaign
Trump, a two-time president, has had a less-than-subtle Nobel Prize campaign going back years, kicking off his efforts during his first term in office by claiming he believed “a lot of people” deserved it.
During a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in February this year, he said: “They will never give me the Nobel Peace Prize. I deserve it, but they will never give it to me.”
Grateful Hamas
Despite America and its ally Israel successfully assassinating almost every member of the Hamas leadership in Gaza over the past two years, the banned terrorist group praised the US President’s valuable efforts “aimed at a definitive halt to the war and a complete withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip.”
Within the scope of the peace plan, approximately 2,000 Palestinians are expected to be released from Israeli custody, 250 of whom have been sentenced to life imprisonment and the rest are Gazans who have been detained since October 7.
Hamas announced in a statement that it accepted “President Trump’s proposals”, which were discussed in the difficult talks held in Egypt last week, where both sides of the conflict were mediated by Qatar. They said the agreement “aims to stop the war of extermination against our Palestinian people.”
What’s left of Hamas may even have the chance to thank President Trump in person this week, after signaling he could fly to the Middle East in coming days to celebrate the return of hostages held in Gaza.
The President’s schedule on Friday could allow for an impromptu trip to the region to coincide with Israeli citizens returning home after two years of captivity, a government source told CNN.
Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that Netanyahu invited President Trump to the country’s parliament, the Knesset, which will meet on Friday to approve the agreement.
But while this “first phase” of the peace plan appears to have been agreed upon, it has been made clear by Hamas that Trump is responsible for ensuring this plan is successful.
They added in their statement: “We call on President Trump, the agreement’s guarantor states and the various Arab, Islamic and international parties to force the occupation government to fully implement the agreement’s obligations.”
Hamas’ full statement
After responsible and serious negotiations carried out by the movement and Palestinian resistance groups regarding President Trump’s proposal aimed at stopping the war of extermination against our Palestinian people in Sharm el-Sheikh and withdrawing the occupation from the Gaza Strip; The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announced that an agreement was reached that stipulates the end of the war in Gaza, the withdrawal of the occupation, the entry of humanitarian aid and the exchange of prisoners.
• We highly appreciate the efforts of our mediator brothers in Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye, and we greatly value the efforts of US President Donald Trump to stop the war once and for all and completely withdraw the occupation from the Gaza Strip.
• We call on President Trump, the agreement’s guarantor states and the various Arab, Islamist and international parties to force the occupation government to fully implement the agreement’s obligations and not allow it to evade or delay the implementation of what has been agreed upon.
• We salute our great people in the Gaza Strip, Jerusalem, the West Bank, at home and abroad, who have demonstrated a unique stance of pride, heroism and honor by opposing the fascist occupation’s projects targeting them and their national rights; Those great sacrifices and stances that thwart the Israeli occupation’s plans of subjugation and displacement.
• We confirm that the sacrifices of our people will not be in vain, that we will remain faithful to our agreement, and that we will never give up the national rights of our people until freedom, independence and self-determination are achieved.
