BBC Breakfast was halted for an important “breaking news” update on Saturday morning. Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt issued an important announcement as Hamas has submitted its response to US President Donald Trump’s peace plan. President Trump ordered Israel to “immediately” stop bombing Gaza as he welcomed Hamas’s partial acceptance of his ultimatum to put an end to the nearly two-year war. In a social media post, Trump says he believes Hamas is “ready for a lasting peace” as he urges Israel to “stop the bombing of Gaza”. He also said in a video message that Friday was “a big day.” Meanwhile, Hamas did not address key aspects of the Trump plan.
Hamas, which is the group that controls Gaza, responded to Trump’s 20-point plan on the Strip’s future. Its statement is not a complete agreement, but it has accepted some of the fundamental elements that Western and Middle Eastern countries view as necessary for concluding the war.
So far, they have agreed to release all the remaining Israeli hostages, just hours after Donald Trump issued them a deadline of 18:00 ET (22:00 GMT) on Sunday.
However, they did not refer to disarmament in their statement. They also did not agree to play no further role in the governance of Gaza.
Meanwhile, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, remarked that Hamas’s response to Trump’s peace plan proposal is “encouraging” and that “this moment must be seized”.
Furthermore, Sir Keir Starmer has described Hamas’s response to the deal as a “significant step forward.”
UN Secretary General António Guterres said: “I urge all parties to seize the opportunity to bring the tragic conflict in Gaza to an end”.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz commented, “The release of the hostages and peace for Gaza are within reach… After almost two years, this is the best chance for peace.”
While Trump responded somewhat positively to Hamas’s response to his peace plan, the group’s rejection of critical aspects leaves it unclear what the next steps will be.