Trump: ‘Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off’

The Palestinian terrorist group said it accepts parts of the plan, including the release of all 48 remaining hostages.

By JNS

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday welcomed Israel’s decision to pause offensive operations in the Gaza Strip and applied pressure on Hamas to give his peace initiative a chance to move forward.

“I appreciate that Israel has temporarily stopped the bombing in order to give the hostage release and peace deal a chance to be completed,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off. I will not tolerate delay, which many think will happen, or any outcome where Gaza poses a threat again. Let’s get this done, fast. Everyone will be treated fairly!” he added.

Israel is preparing to implement the first phase of the plan to end the war against Hamas, which includes “the immediate release of all hostages,” the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem announced overnight Friday.

The decision followed Hamas’s response earlier on Friday to the American proposal.

The Palestinian terrorist group said it accepts parts of the plan, including the release of all 48 remaining hostages—20 of whom are believed to be alive—under the formula outlined by Trump, “provided the field conditions for the exchange are met,” as part of ending the conflict.

In response, the Israeli political echelon ordered IDF operations in Gaza scaled back to “a minimum,” with ground forces restricted to defensive maneuvers, Army Radio reported on Saturday.

On Friday, Trump said that he believes Hamas is “ready for a lasting peace,” and therefore, “Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the hostages out safely and quickly.”

Hours later, the U.S. president released a video statement in which he confirmed that Washington was waiting to get “the final word down,” while adding he “look[s] forward to having the hostages come home to their parents.

“This is a very special day, maybe unprecedented,” said Trump. “We were given a tremendous amount of help. Everybody was unified in wanting this war to end and seeing peace in the Middle East, and we’re very close to achieving that.”