DONALD Trump has warned Hamas “all bets are off” unless they agree to his Gaza peace plan and hostage deal before the deadline.
The US President cautioned Hamas “must move quickly” as he “will not tolerate delay”.
GettyTrump has set a deadline for Hamas to agree to the deal[/caption]
AFpPalestinian Hamas fighters escort Israeli hostages Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy on a stage before handing them over[/caption]
Taking to his Truth Social platform, he said: “I appreciate that Israel has temporarily stopped the bombing in order to give the Hostage release and Peace Deal a chance to be completed.
“Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off. I will not tolerate delay, which many think will happen, or any outcome where Gaza poses a threat again. Let’s get this done, FAST.
“Everyone will be treated fairly!”
Trump said he believes the terror group is “ready for a lasting peace” – a development that could mark a key checkpoint in the end of the brutal war.
It comes just hours after Israel stopped Gaza’s bombing after the terror group said it would release all the remaining hostages – including those who have died – under the formula proposed in Trump’s peace deal.
The terror group said: “In this context, the movement affirms its readiness to immediately enter into negotiations through the mediators to discuss the details of this.”
Trump, who gave Hamas a 48-hour deadline to accept the peace deal, reposted Hamas’ statement on his Truth Social account and then released a video welcoming the move.
However, the terror group has not entirely agreed to the peace deal, saying it wants to be part of the government following the war.
The 20-point peace plan proposes an immediate end to fighting and the release within 72 hours of living Israeli hostages held by Hamas – as well as the remains of hostages thought to be dead.
Nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners will be freed from Israeli prisons in exchange.
Hamas’s political leadership, based in Qatar, are said to be open to accepting it – but with amendments.
Although they have been unable to hold sway, as they do not have control of Israeli hostages – whose fate plays a crucial part in the deal.
Senior Hamas mouthpiece Mousa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera that the group will not disarm – one of the key points of Trump’s peace deal – until the Israeli “occupation” ends.
The radical terror group also did not agree to an Israeli withdrawal in stages, as opposed to the immediate, full withdrawal Hamas demands.
And it demanded that issues over Gaza’s future should be discussed within a comprehensive Palestinian national framework, which Hamas will be part of.
But Trump has ruled that out, with Israel saying in no way can the terror group remain in power for peace to occur.
Sir Keir Starmer said Hamas’ acceptance was a “significant step forward”, adding: “We call on all sides to implement the agreement without delay.”
Hamas said it was ready “to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats) based on Palestinian national consensus and supported by Arab and Islamic backing.”
It has previously offered to release all hostages and to hand over administration of the Gaza Strip to a different body.
Israel has already backed Trump’s peace plan, which involves an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and Hamas disarmament.
A successful ceasefire could then pave the way for 48 hostages – of whom just 20 are believed to be alive – to be released from Gaza terror tunnels after two years in hell.
A truce – if it holds – could also allow vital humanitarian aid to flood into the besieged coastal strip, where Hamas says more than 66,000 Palestinians have died in fighting.
A new “Board of Peace” chaired by the US president and run by former UK PM Tony Blair would then move in to rebuild the strip before peace-loving Palestinians take over.
Earlier this week, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the most senior Hamas military commander still in Gaza, told the BBC that Trump’s plan “serves Israel’s interests and ignores those of the Palestinian people”.
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