Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement on Hamas’ response to United States President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, saying that the country was prepared for “immediate implementation” of the first step of the plan to free hostages. The statement affirms that Israel “will continue to work in full cooperation with the president and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles laid out by Israel, which correspond with Trump’s vision for ending the war.” Earlier, Trump stated that he believed Hamas was ready for a lasting peace deal and called on Israel to immediately cease bombing Gaza to ensure the safety of the hostages.
IDF to prepare for first stage of Trump’s Gaza plan
Israeli Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir (pictured) orders the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to be ready for the first stage of United States President Donald Trump’s plan to free the hostages, according to an IDF statement. The statement also indicates that the military plans to scale back its Gaza City offensive, as well as stating that “the security of our forces is of supreme importance and all the IDF’s capabilities will be allocated to Southern Command to defend our forces.” Additionally, Zamir highlighted that “in light of the operational sensitivity, forces must demonstrate increased readiness and awareness. Likewise, the need for a quick response to remove any threat was clarified.”