Oct. 4 (UPI) — President Donald Trump said Israeli officials have agreed to an initial withdrawal line in Gaza and informed Hamas of the decision as Israel eased its Gaza City offensive.
Israel’s agreement to withdraw to the designated line would occur and a cease-fire would take immediate effect, followed by the release of all remaining hostages, upon confirmation by Hamas, Trump said.
“After negotiations, Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which we have shown to and shared with Hamas,” the president said in a Truth Social post on Saturday.
He said an exchange of all hostages and prisoners held by Israel then would start amid a cease-fire, followed by additional negotiations to end the war between Hamas and Israel.
“We will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal, which will bring us close to the end of this 3,000-year catastrophe,” Trump said.
The president urged Hamas to act quickly after Israel reduced the severity of its military strikes, according to NPR.
Any delays by Hamas might cause Israel to resume its full military operations, Trump said, which would continue to cause the deaths of Hamas members and Gazans who remained in targeted areas following Israel’s warnings to evacuate.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday said he would want all hostages to held by Hamas to be returned by Oct. 13, which is the final day of the Jewish Sukkot holiday.
Hamas is holding an estimated 48 hostages, only 20 of whom are thought to still be alive, according to the president.
Trump has said Israeli families still want to receive the remains of their deceased loved ones to give them a proper burial and closure.
While Hamas weighs the latest developments, Israel Defense Forces have killed at least 70 in Gaza on Saturday, Al Jazeera reported.
The news outlet cited “medical sources” and did not say how many of those killed are Hamas members and how many are civilians.
