Hamas agrees to release all hostages, Trump tells Israel to stop bombing Gaza

U.S. president Donald Trump has called for Israel to "immediately stop the bombing of Gaza", after Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed to some parts of his Sep. 29 peace plan.

The group promised to release all hostages, but stopped short of agreeing to lay down arms, saying that there is still more to be negotiated.

In response, Trump called it "a very special day", and ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza to facilitate the hostage release.

"Everybody was unified in wanting this war to end and seek peace in the Middle East, and we are very close to achieving that," he added.

Hamas' terms

In a statement by Hamas, shared by Trump on Truth Social, the militant group announced that it would release "all occupation prisoners — both living and remains — according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump's proposal".

Trump had in his 20-point plan called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all remaining hostages, Hamas's disarmament and demilitarisation, among other terms.

Once both sides agree to the proposal, "full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza strip", it said.

Aside from the release of hostages, Hamas agreed to hand over governance of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents, based on the consensus of the Palestinian people.

But it said other terms would have to be negotiated through mediators.

In his plan, Trump had left the possibility of the establishment of a Palestinian state up in the air, but demanded that Hamas be excluded from any future governance of Gaza.

Trump warned on Oct. 3 that Hamas would be given until 6am on Oct. 6 (Singapore time) to agree to the proposal, or face "all HELL, like no one has ever seen before".

"THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER," he wrote.

Israel must stop bombing

In a separate post, Trump called Hamas' statement an indication that they are "ready for a lasting PEACE":

"Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!"

Shortly after Hamas' announcement, Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that Israel is preparing for an "immediate implementation" of the first stage of Trump's plan to release all hostages.

"We will continue to work in full cooperation with the president and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles laid out by Israel, which correspond with Trump’s vision for ending the war," the statement said.

Local media also reported that Israel's military had been instructed to reduce their offensive activity in Gaza.

However, residents in Gaza said Israeli tanks bombarded Talateeni Street, a major stretch in Gaza City, after Trump's message for Israel to stop, The Guardian reported.

Some also said Israeli military planes intensified bombing in Gaza City within an hour after Hamas announced their agreement to the peace plan.

Reactions in the region

Locals in Gaza reportedly reacted in relief to the news of Hamas' announcement.

Celebratory cries of “Allahu Akbar!” (God is the greatest) could be heard from tents in Gaza housing Palestinians, according to an AFP reporter.

Mediating countries Qatar and Egypt also expressed their support for the latest development.

Qatar "welcomes the announcement by Hamas of its agreement to President Trump’s plan," a foreign ministry spokesperson said.

Egypt called it a "positive development", and said it hoped all parties would commit to "implementing President Trump’s plan on the ground and end the war".

According to Al Jazeera, a Hamas official said while they agreed to a number of the terms of the plan, the group would not disarm before Israel's occupation of the enclave ends.

This leaves the possibility of a permanent ceasefire to the nearly two-year war still unclear.

Top image via The White House