Israel Agrees to Withdraw from Gaza, Trump Announces Peace Plan with Ceasefire to Begin Soon

Donald Trump announced that Israel had agreed to withdraw its forces from Gaza. However, the US President also stated that Hamas had not yet confirmed this.

Israel withdrawal from Gaza: United States President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that Israel has agreed to a phased withdrawal of its forces from the Gaza Strip. This announcement is considered a significant step towards ending the bloody conflict that has been ongoing in the Middle East for nearly two years. Trump clarified in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, that Hamas has been informed of this 'initial withdrawal line', but there has been no confirmation from the organisation yet. If Hamas agrees, an immediate ceasefire will come into effect, and the process of exchanging hostages and prisoners will begin.

Trump's post stated, "Following negotiations, Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which we have shown and shared with Hamas. When Hamas confirms, the ceasefire will take effect immediately, the exchange of hostages and prisoners will begin, and we will prepare the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal. This will bring us closer to the end of this 3,000-year-old catastrophe."

Earlier, Trump had asked Hamas to accept their 20-point plan to end the Gaza conflict and rebuild the enclave by 6 PM on Sunday. He also warned that if they did not comply, strong action would be taken against Hamas.

Following this, Hamas responded to regional and international mediators, stating that it would release all Israeli hostages, both living and deceased, under an exchange plan. The group said it was ready to immediately begin negotiations with mediators on the implementation details.

Hamas stated that it would hand over the administration of Gaza to a Palestinian body of independent technical experts, supported by Arab and Islamic countries. Hamas said it values international and American efforts to end the conflict, allow humanitarian aid, prevent Palestinian displacement, and reject any occupation of Gaza. The group added that other issues raised in the American proposal concerning the future of Gaza and broader Palestinian rights would be addressed within a collective Palestinian framework in accordance with relevant international laws and resolutions.