Israel pauses Gaza bombing as Trump pushes 20-point peace deal, Hamas accepts proposal in principle

“Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off,” Trump warned, adding, “I will not tolerate delay … Let’s get this done, FAST.”

In a follow-up post, Trump said Israel had agreed to an initial withdrawal line, which had been shared with Hamas.

“When Hamas confirms, the ceasefire will be immediately effective, the hostages and prisoner exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal, which will bring us close to the end of this 3,000-year catastrophe,” Trump wrote.

Netanyahu confirms progress in talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that indirect negotiations with Hamas were underway in Cairo, expressing hope that the release of all hostages could be announced “in the coming days.”

“Our goal is to contain these negotiations to a timeframe of a few days,” Netanyahu said, noting that a delegation had been sent to Egypt to finalize technical details.

On Friday, Trump had set a Sunday 6 p.m. ET (2200 GMT) deadline for Hamas to accept the peace proposal, warning that failure would trigger “all hell, like no one has ever seen before.”

Hamas announced later that it had accepted the proposal in principle and was prepared to begin mediated talks, a move welcomed internationally as a potential breakthrough to end the conflict and alleviate civilian suffering.

The US-brokered 20-Point Gaza Plan includes:

• A ceasefire-for-hostages exchange.
• Phased Israeli withdrawal to the agreed lines.
• A demilitarized Gaza under international supervision.
• Exclusion of Hamas from post-war governance.
• A large-scale reconstruction program backed by international partners.

Under the terms, Israel will halt military actions and pull back to the negotiated line. Within 72 hours of Israel’s confirmation, Hamas must release all hostages (alive and deceased).

In exchange, Israel will release 250 life-sentence prisoners and 1,700 Gazans detained after October 7, 2023.

Disarmed Hamas members pledging peaceful coexistence will receive amnesty, while those opting to leave Gaza will be granted safe passage to third countries.