William Christou in Jerusalem Fri 3 Oct 2025 19.37 EDT

Donald Trump ordered Israel to “immediately” stop bombing Gaza as he welcomed Hamas’s partial acceptance of his ultimatum to end the nearly two-year war.

Hamas has agreed to release all hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, as well as surrender governing power in the Gaza Strip, in accordance with Trump’s plan.

In a statement on Friday evening, the Palestinian militant group asked for further negotiations on other parts of the plan, and did not say whether it would lay down its arms – a key part of Trump’s proposal unveiled on Monday.

Despite the qualified response by Hamas, Trump said in a post on Truth Social: “Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE."