SRINAGAR: Israel’s leadership has reportedly directed the military to scale down its offensive in Gaza after the United States pressed for the “immediate implementation” of the first stage of President Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan, news agency Reuters reported.
The move followed Hamas’s announcement that it would accept certain elements of the initiative.
According to a statement issued by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office on Saturday, Israel would cooperate “in full” with Washington to bring the conflict to an end in line with the plan’s framework, the Associated Press reported.
On Friday, President Trump called on Israel to halt its bombing campaign in Gaza, stressing that continued strikes endangered efforts to secure the release of hostages held since the Hamas-led assault of 7 October 2023. Hamas has indicated it is prepared to release captives and transfer authority to other Palestinian representatives, though it maintained that several aspects of the proposal still require internal discussions.
Senior Hamas figures signalled that significant disagreements remain, underscoring the need for further negotiations.
Welcoming Hamas’s partial endorsement, President Trump declared: “I believe they are ready for a lasting peace.” Writing on social media, he added: “Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the hostages out safely and quickly. Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out.”
