Hamas says it agrees to release all hostages under Trump’s peace plan

WASHINGTON - Hamas said Friday that it has accepted some elements of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip, including giving up power and releasing all remaining hostages, but that others require further consultations among Palestinians.

Trump’s peace plan has been accepted by Israel and was welcomed internationally after it was unveiled alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week.

Hamas says it agrees to release all hostages under Trump's peace plan

The statement came hours after Trump said that Hamas must agree to the deal by Sunday evening, threatening an even greater military onslaught nearly two years into the war sparked by the Oct. 7 attack into Israel. It was unclear how the U.S. and Israel would respond to partial acceptance.

What they're saying:

On Friday, Israel said it was preparing to implement the "first stage" of Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza. The announcement also said Israel would work "in full cooperation" with the U.S. president to end the war in accordance with its principles.

The president released a video Friday evening from the Oval Office in which he credited allies for working to achieve a deal between Israel and Hamas for the return of hostages taken in the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.

"This is a big day," Trump said. "We’ll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down in concrete."

Trump said he looked forward to having the hostages, including those who were killed, be returned to their families. He thanked Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and "so many others."

The president said, "we’re very close to achieving" peace in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Hamas said it was willing to release hostages according to the plan’s "formula," likely referring to the release of Palestinian prisoners. It also reiterated its longstanding openness to handing power over to a politically independent Palestinian body.

But it said aspects of the proposal touching on the future of the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rights should be decided on the basis of a "unanimous Palestinian stance" reached with other factions and based on international law.

The statement also made no mention of Hamas disarming, a key Israeli demand included in Trump’s proposal.

Gaza peace plan

Dig deeper:

Under the plan, Hamas would immediately release the remaining 48 hostages — around 20 of them believed to be alive. It would also give up power and disarm.

In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of the territory, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction. Plans to relocate much of Gaza's population to other countries would be shelved.

READ MORE: President Trump’s plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza

Trump appears keen to deliver on pledges to end the war and return dozens of hostages ahead of the second anniversary of the attack on Tuesday. His peace plan has been accepted by Israel and welcomed internationally, but key mediators Egypt and Qatar have said some elements need further negotiation, without elaborating.

What they're saying:

"An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time," Trump wrote Friday on social media. "Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER."

War in Gaza

The backstory:

The war in Gaza is nearing its 2-year mark, when Hamas led an attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which militants killed 1,200 people and took roughly 250 people hostage. 

Big picture view:

The war has displaced around 90% of Gaza's population, obliterated much of the territory's urban landscape and left people reliant on outside aid, which Israel has limited since the end of the latest ceasefire in March.

The latest information from Gaza’s Health Ministry said more than 66,000 Palestinians had died in the war, which includes militants, women and children. 

Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas repeatedly failed in recent months over a major sticking point: whether the war should end as part of any ceasefire agreement. 

For Context:

Previously, Hamas said it was willing to free all the hostages in exchange for a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and an end to the war in Gaza. Israel rejected that offer, saying it would agree to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile, something the group refused. Netanyahu has insisted Israel would otherwise resume fighting to ensure the group’s destruction. 

Previously, an eight-week ceasefire was reached in January as Trump took office, but Israel resumed the war in March after trying to get Hamas to accept new terms on next steps.