By Janet Ekstract, NEW YORK – On Friday, October 3, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a formal statement from the office of his spokesman Stephane Dujarric, the U.N. chief stated that he “welcomes and is encouraged by the statement issued by Hamas announcing its readiness to release hostages and to engage on the basis of the recent proposal by U.S. President Donald J. Trump.” Hamas submitted its answer to Trump’s peace plan that includes agreeing to hand over administration of Gaza to Palestinian technocrats and to free all Israeli hostages. Analysts and experts on the region said that Hamas was under tremendous pressure especially from the Arab world to take the deal and put an end to the war in Gaza. For his part, President Trump stated on Truth Social that Israel must “immediately stop bombing Gaza” after the Hamas response was received. Trump’s reaction is that he believes Hamas is ready for a “lasting peace” but that all parties must proceed with caution. In a video address after Hamas’s statement, President Trump responded by expressing how the new development was “unprecedented” and that all final decisions must be clear in writing.
Meanwhile, Guterres urged all parties to “seize the opportunity to bring the tragic conflict in Gaza to an end,” while thanking Qatar and Egypt for their “invaluable mediation work.” Guterres reiterated his call for “an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and unfettered humanitarian access.” The secretary-general also said the U.N. will support “all efforts toward these objectives to prevent even more suffering.” Despite Hamas agreeing to release all remaining Israeli hostages, the group is requesting further negotiation on a number of issues outlined in the US. Peace plan. Hamas had a Sunday deadline to accept the peace plan or as Trump had said, face “all hell.” According to sources in Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Israel is “preparing to immediately implement” the first phase of Trump’s plan. Sources on the ground in Israel also reveal the hundreds of Gazans have reached out to journalists, seeking clarity about the latest political statements.
