US President Donald Trump has made it clear in a tweet that the first phase of his peace plan for Gaza must be completed this week, otherwise there will be massive bloodshed, something no one wants to see. At the same time, the US president says that “very positive discussions” have taken place between Hamas and Arab and Muslim interlocutors over the weekend with the aim of releasing the hostages, ending the war in Gaza and achieving “PEACE in the Middle East.”
"These talks have been very successful and are moving forward rapidly," Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that "technical teams" will meet again on Monday in Egypt to "work out and clarify the final details."
"I've been told that the first phase should be completed this week and I'm asking everyone to MOVE FAST," Trump says.
It is not immediately clear what he means by "first phase" and whether he is implying that hostages will begin to be released this week.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said over the weekend that he hoped the hostages could be released during the Sukkot holiday, which begins Monday night and lasts a week, immediately followed by the Simchat Torah holiday, which marks the Jewish calendar anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7.
"I will continue to watch this eternal 'conflict'. TIME IS OF THE ESSENTIAL, OTHERWISE MASSIVE BLOODSHEDDING WILL FOLLOW — SOMETHING NO ONE WANTS TO SEE!" Trump signed his post.
Hamas delegation in Egypt denies reports that it agreed to hand over its weapons
A delegation of Hamas officials, led by Khalil al-Hayya, arrived in Egypt "to begin negotiations on mechanisms for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of the occupying forces and the exchange of prisoners," the terrorist organization announced.
Hamas refers to the hostages it kidnapped during the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack that began the ongoing war, as "prisoners."
At the same time, media outlets affiliated with Hamas deny the previous report by the Saudi network Al Arabiya that Hamas had begun collecting the bodies of the hostages and agreed to hand over its weapons to an organization under international supervision.
Statements released by outlets such as Hamas's Al-Aqsa Radio state that these are false reports with no basis in reality.
As part of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war, Israel is set to release 250 Palestinian security prisoners serving life sentences, as well as more than 1.700 people from Gaza who were arrested during the two-year war in the Gaza Strip.
Source: protothema.gr
