UPDATE 2 - Arab countries welcome Hamas response to Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan

UPDATES WITH PALESTINIAN STATEMENT, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Hussien Elkabany, Rasa Evrensel, and Ikram Kouachi

CAIRO / ISTANBUL (AA) - Qatar, Jordan, Palestine, and Egypt appreciated on Saturday Hamas’s positive response to US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan to end the Gaza war, voicing hope that detailed negotiations will begin soon to implement the initiative.

Hamas on Friday announced its willingness to release all Israeli captives, alive and dead, and to hand over Gaza’s administration to an independent Palestinian authority composed of technocrats. However, it stressed that the enclave’s future and Palestinian rights must be addressed within a broader national Palestinian framework.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari welcomed Hamas’s announcement, reiterating that the Gulf country supports Trump’s statements urging “an immediate ceasefire to enable the safe and swift release of hostages and to halt the bloodshed of Palestinian brothers in Gaza.”

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry also welcomed the positive response, calling it a “key step toward halting the conflict and its catastrophic consequences.”

Ministry spokesperson Fouad Al-Majali said Jordan “appreciates the central role of sister states Egypt and Qatar in efforts to reach a lasting ceasefire agreement.”

He reiterated Jordan’s support for Trump’s proposal, stressing the necessity of an immediate halt to Israeli aggression against Gaza, the opening of crossings to allow sufficient, immediate, and sustainable humanitarian aid to all parts of the enclave, and the launch of a genuine process to achieve a just peace based on the two-state solution in accordance with international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, stressed that “what matters now is the immediate commitment to a complete ceasefire, the release of all hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid through UN agencies.”

He affirmed that “the state of Palestine is ready to work constructively with President Trump from this moment and with all relevant partners to achieve lasting and just stability and peace in accordance with international legitimacy.”

Abbas reiterated that “sovereignty over Gaza belongs to the state of Palestine, and the connection between the West Bank and Gaza must be established through Palestinian laws and institutions.”

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said that Cairo “appreciates the statement issued by Hamas in response to President Trump’s plan to stop the war in the Gaza Strip.”

It stressed that the response “reflects the keenness of the movement and all Palestinian factions to spare the blood of the Palestinian people, protect innocent civilians, and end a dark period in the region’s history.”

Egypt also praised Trump’s efforts and vision for peace, noting his “full commitment to ending the war in Gaza, his rejection of the annexation of the West Bank or the displacement of the Palestinian people, and his plan for the reconstruction of Gaza while ensuring Palestinians remain on their land and returnees can go back to their homeland.”

Egypt’s Qahera News television quoted an Egyptian source as saying that “preparations are underway to discuss conditions for a potential prisoner exchange between Palestinian and Israeli captives.”

The source added that work is continuing to organize an inclusive Palestinian dialogue on the future of Gaza.

On Friday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he believed Hamas was “ready for lasting peace” and urged Israel to “immediately stop bombing Gaza” in order to secure the release of Israeli captives.

Tel Aviv estimates that 48 Israeli captives remain in Gaza, including 20 alive. Israel, meanwhile, holds around 11,100 Palestinian captives, many of whom face torture, hunger, and medical neglect, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups.

On Sept. 29, Trump unveiled the 20-point plan, including the release of Israeli captives within 72 hours of Israel’s approval, a ceasefire, and the disarmament of Hamas.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardment has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians in Gaza, and most of the infrastructure has been reduced to rubble.