Video: Trump reacts to Hamas peace plan, hails international support, prospects for hostage return
Video: Trump reacts to Hamas peace plan, hails international support, prospects for hostage return
Abdullateef Fowewe
In a significant statement addressing Hamas’ reaction to his Middle East peace plan, President Donald Trump underscored the broad international collaboration that shaped the initiative and expressed cautious optimism about its outcomes.
Video: Trump reacts to Hamas peace plan, hails international support, prospects for hostage return
“I want to thank all the countries that helped me put this together, Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and so many others,” Trump said, highlighting the extensive cooperation behind the effort.
“So many people fought so hard. This is a big day. We’ll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down in concrete.”
Addressing the sensitive issue of hostages, the President expressed a heartfelt hope for their safe return noting, “Very importantly, I look forward to having the hostages come home to their parents, and having some of the hostages, unfortunately, you know, the condition they’re in, come home, likewise, to their parents, because their parents wanted them just as much as though that young man or young woman were alive.”
Trump described the day as potentially historical, noting, “This is a very special day, maybe unprecedented. In many ways, it is unprecedented.”
He underscored the shared desire among nations involved to end the ongoing conflict, stating, “Everybody was unified in wanting this war to end and seeing peace in the Middle East and we’re very close to achieving that.”
Concluding his remarks, the President assured fairness for all parties, saying, “Thank you all, and everybody will be treated fairly.”
Hamas said it has agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, as long as “the field conditions for the exchange are met” and expressed willingness to negotiate through mediators on President Donald Trump’s plan for peace in the Middle East.
In its statement on Friday, Hamas said that the group “affirms its readiness to immediately enter into negotiations through the mediators to discuss the details of this agreement.”
“The movement also renews its agreement to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats), based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support,” said Hamas.
