US President Donald Trump told CNN via text message that Hamas faces “complete obliteration!” if it attempts to cling to power in Gaza.
When asked about claims that Hamas had effectively rejected his proposal by refusing disarmament and setting conditions for a hostage release, Trump replied, “We will find out. Only time will tell!!!”
Trump said talks on implementing a truce for Gaza will take days, while his foreign policy chief Marco Rubio warned that Israel needs to stop bombing for a hostage release to happen.
"They're in negotiations right now as we speak. They've started the negotiations. It'll last a couple of days," Trump told reporters at the White House.
"We'll see how it turns out. But I'm hearing it's going very well," he added.
Trump also confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fully on board with taking the necessary steps to achieve peace.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio provided updates on ongoing efforts to end the war in Gaza, stressing that while progress has been made, significant challenges remain.
Rubio said Hamas has agreed in principle to a post-war framework, but implementing Phase 2 of the plan, including the “demilitarization and withdrawal” of Gaza, will not be easy. He emphasized that establishing a governing structure for Gaza without Hamas cannot be achieved in just three days.
“The war in Gaza is not over yet,” Rubio said, adding that logistical matters related to ending the conflict are still being worked out. He urged the immediate release of hostages and noted that meetings are underway to finalize an agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Rubio concluded that it will soon become clear whether Hamas is serious about the proposed arrangements and expressed hope for a swift resolution to the nearly two-year-long conflict.
The Israeli prime minister met with the families of Israeli hostages, where he affirmed to them that "if the hostages are not released by the deadline that President Donald Trump set, Israel will return to fighting with the full support of all the involved countries."
He also told the families, "We will not proceed to any of the 21 clauses of the Trump plan until the first clause, the release of all the hostages, living and deceased."
On the topic of demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, he told families, “Israel will be responsible and involved in the demilitarization of weapons in the Strip."
Hamas called for a swift start to a hostage-prisoner exchange with Israel as negotiators from the two warring sides meet in Egypt for crucial talks aimed at ending the nearly two-year war.
Foreign ministers of several countries, including Egypt, said the talks were a "real opportunity" to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza.
"Hamas is very keen to reach an agreement to end the war and immediately begin the prisoner exchange process in accordance with the field conditions," a senior Hamas official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The diplomatic push follows the Palestinian militant group's positive response to US President Donald Trump's roadmap for the release of captives in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
Negotiators are due to hold talks in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing hope that hostages held in Gaza could be released within days.
Netanyahu said Saturday he had instructed negotiators to go to Egypt "to finalize the technical details," while Cairo confirmed it would also be hosting a delegation from Hamas for talks on "the ground conditions and details of the exchange of all Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners."
Egyptian state-linked media said the two parties would hold indirect talks on Sunday and Monday, just before the second anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war.
The White House said Trump had sent two envoys to Egypt, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff.
"During communications with mediators, Hamas insisted that it is essential for Israel to halt military operations across all areas of the Gaza Strip, cease all air, reconnaissance, and drone activity, and withdraw from inside Gaza City," a Palestinian source close to Hamas said.
"In parallel with the cessation of Israeli military activity, Hamas and the resistance factions will also halt their military operations and actions," he added.
According to Trump's plan, Israel is expected to release 250 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences and more than 1,700 detainees from the Gaza Strip who were arrested after October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, triggering the ongoing war.
But Trump warned he would "not tolerate delay" from Hamas, urging the group to move quickly towards a deal "or else all bets will be off."
Trump said on Truth Social that Israel had agreed to an initial line of withdrawal in Gaza and that this had been shared with Hamas.
"When Hamas confirms, the ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the hostage and prisoner exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal," he posted, alongside a map of the proposed line.
Netanyahu said that "in the coming days we will be able to bring back all our hostages... during the Sukkot holidays," referring to the week-long Jewish festival that begins on Monday.
Hezbollah, in a statement, endorsed Hamas’s response to Trump’s Gaza plan, backing Palestinian factions in halting "Israeli aggression" while upholding national rights and unity.
The statement stressed that negotiations must ensure full Israeli withdrawal, prevent displacement, and allow Palestinians to manage their affairs independently.
Hezbollah also urged Arab and Islamic nations to support Palestinians in stopping the attacks, rebuilding Gaza, and restoring their rights.
No Role for Hamas
Hamas has insisted it should have a say in the territory's future.
Trump's roadmap stipulates that Hamas and other factions "not have any role in the governance of Gaza", while also calling for a halt to hostilities, the release of hostages within 72 hours, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas's disarmament.
Under the proposal, administration of the territory would be taken up by a technocratic body overseen by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself.
"Netanyahu will not be able to escape this time... (Trump) is the only one who can force Israel to comply and stop the war," said Sami Adas, 50, who lives in a tent in Gaza City with his family.
Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack 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 67,139 Palestinians, according to health ministry figures in the Palestinian territory that the United Nations considers reliable.
AFP
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