The Japan Times - Hostage families urge immediate end to Gaza war

Trump had urged Israel to stop its bombardment of the Palestinian territory after Hamas agreed to release all hostages and begin talks on the details of his peace plan.

Hamas said it was ready to release hostages held in Gaza, but wanted negotiations on the details of Trump's plan and a say in the future of the Palestinian territory.

"The movement announces its approval for the release of all hostages -- living and remains -- according to the exchange formula included in President Trump's proposal," Hamas said in a statement Friday.

Trump later posted on Truth Social: "Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe 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!"

A senior Hamas official said on Saturday that the group was "ready to begin negotiations immediately to finalise all issues".

Trump's proposed plan calls for a halt to hostilities, the release of hostages within 72 hours, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas's disarmament.

The plan also insists that Hamas and other factions "not have any role in the governance of Gaza", with administration of the territory instead taken up by a technocratic body overseen by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself.

"President Trump's demand to stop the war immediately is essential to prevent serious and irreversible harm to the hostages," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.

"We call on Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu to immediately begin efficient and swift negotiations to bring all our hostages home."

- Heavy bombardment -

But despite Trump's appeal, Gaza's civil defence agency reported that Israel carried out dozens of attacks on Gaza City overnight, with a number of nearby hospitals saying they received casualties from strikes.

"It was a very violent night, during which the (Israeli army) carried out dozens of air strikes and artillery shelling on Gaza City and other areas in the Strip, despite President Trump's call to halt the bombing," civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

Bassal, whose agency is a rescue force which operates under Hamas authority, added that 20 homes were destroyed in the overnight bombardments.

Gaza City's Baptist Hospital said it received casualties from a strike on a home in the city's Tuffah neighbourhood, including four dead and several wounded.

Further south, Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis said two children were killed and eight people wounded in a drone strike on a tent in camp for displaced Gazans.

The US leader had given the Palestinian group until 2200 GMT on Sunday to accept his 20-point plan or else face "all hell".

Israeli Prime Minister Benajmin Netanyahu's office had said in response to Trump's call that Israel was "preparing for the immediate implementation of the first stage of the Trump plan for the release of all the hostages".

In its statement, Hamas also agreed to hand over power in Gaza to technocrats but said it would "participate and contribute responsibly" in Palestinian discussions regarding the territory's future.

- Hopeful reactions -

An AFP journalist in the Gaza Strip's coastal area of Al-Mawasi said they heard celebratory cries of "Allahu akbar!" (God is the greatest) rise from tents housing Palestinians as news of Hamas's response filtered through.

"The moment I read the news... my body trembled and shivered. A feeling came over me, like. 'Oh Allah, at last relief has come to us,'" Samah Al-Hu, a displaced Palestinian in Al-Mawasi, said.

Friday's developments also drew a chorus of hopeful reactions from the international community, including from the leaders of Britain, France and Germany and the UN chief.

Key mediators Qatar and Egypt both welcomed Hamas's statements, saying they hoped it would help towards ensuring an end to the conflict.

The war was triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 66,288 Palestinians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.

Their data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children.

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K.Okada--JT