US President Donald Trump says Israel must stop bombing Gaza immediately and that he believes Hamas is ready for peace after a statement by the Palestinian militant group.
Hamas said on Saturday it was ready to discuss freeing the hostages it holds in Gaza under the framework of Trump's recent ceasefire plan, prompting the US president to call on Israel to stop bombing the Palestinian territory "immediately".
Trump hailed the statement from Hamas as a sign it was committed to "lasting peace" but the group made no mention of its own disarmament — a key element of Trump's proposal — and maintained it should have a say in the Palestinian territory's future.
Hours earlier, Trump had given the group until Monday AEST to accept his 20-point plan or else face "all hell".
Hamas needs 'clarification'
"The movement announces its approval for the release of all hostages — living and remains — according to the exchange formula included in President Trump's proposal," Hamas said in a statement, adding it was ready to enter talks "to discuss the details".
In the statement, it also agreed to hand over power in Gaza to a body of Palestinian technocrats — another element of the Trump proposal — but said it would "participate and contribute responsibly" in Palestinian discussions regarding the territory's future.
Following the announcement, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi told the Agence France-Presse news agency the group welcomed Trump's proposal, but called it "vague", saying "we need clarification and confirmation through a negotiated agreement".
Trump tells Israel to 'immediately' stop bombing of Gaza
In a post on his Truth Social platform shortly after Hamas's announcement, Trump said he believed the group was "ready for a lasting PEACE".
"Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!" he added.
Trump's proposal, backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, Hamas's disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The plan demands the disarmament of Hamas, and insists that it and other factions "not have any role in the governance of Gaza".
Administration of the territory would be taken up by a technocratic body overseen by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself.
'Places of death'
On the ground on Friday, Gaza's civil defence agency reported heavy air bombardment and artillery shelling on Gaza City.
It said Israeli strikes killed at least 11 people across the territory, including eight in Gaza City.
The Israeli military has been contacted for comment.
The UN on Friday reiterated there was no safe place in Gaza and that Israel-designated zones in the south were "places of death".
"The notion of a safe zone in the south is farcical," UNICEF spokesman James Elder said from the Gaza Strip.
Amnesty International condemned a "catastrophic wave of mass displacement" as Israel intensified its Gaza City offensive.
The rights group said hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, many of whom had already been displaced multiple times, were being forced into "overcrowded enclaves in the south... that lack access to clean water, food, medical care, shelter and life-sustaining infrastructure".
As the war nears the two-year mark and the death toll continues to rise, protesters around the world have railed at Israel's interception of a flotilla carrying pro-Palestinian activists and aid for Gaza.
On Friday, the organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla said its last remaining boat had been intercepted and Israel's foreign ministry said it had deported four Italian participants.
Israel has bombarded Gaza since Hamas' October 7 2023 attack in which more than 1,200 people, including an estimated 30 children, were killed and over 200 hostages taken, according to the Israeli government.
More than 66,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
The October 7 attack was a significant escalation in the long-standing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
