Hamas said on Friday it will return all Israeli hostages, agreeing to a key part of the Gaza-Israel peace plan announced by President Donald Trump on Monday.
The group signaled a willingness to move forward with broader talks that could end the nearly two-year-old war, writing in a statement that it “affirms its readiness to immediately enter into negotiations through the mediators to discuss the details of this agreement.”
On Friday, Trump gave Hamas until 6 p.m. Sunday to respond to the 20-point proposal.
“We will have PEACE in the Middle East one way or the other. The violence and bloodshed will stop,” Trump said. “Releases [sic] the hostages, all of them, including the bodies of those that are dead, now!”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt indicated Trump would further address the situation Friday afternoon.
In the statement, Hamas said that it would release the hostages “according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump’s proposal.”
The proposal also calls for Gaza to be governed “under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza.”
On governance, Hamas said it was willing to pass administration of Gaza to a “Palestinian body of independent technocrats, based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support.”
Israel has been fighting Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.