Israel halts Gaza offensive after Trump’s call
4 October 20:14
On October 4, the Israeli army halted its offensive in the Gaza Strip following a call from US President Donald Trump. This was reported by the Times of Israel, adding that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue to conduct defensive operations in accordance with the order of Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to “eliminate any threats,” "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
On Friday evening, Trump demanded that Israel stop bombing the Gaza Strip following Hamas’ announcement that it would agree to fulfill some of the points of his peace plan for Gaza, including the release of hostages. Trump wrote on Truth Social that, in his opinion, Hamas has demonstrated a “willingness to make a lasting peace.” “Israel must immediately stop bombing Gaza so we can safely and quickly release the hostages!” Trump said. He added that the details of a deal that will bring “long-awaited peace to the Middle East” are being discussed.
After that, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel was preparing for the “immediate implementation” of the first phase of Trump’s plan for Gaza to release Israeli hostages. Zamir, in turn, instructed the troops “in accordance with the order of the political leadership” to prepare for the implementation of the “first phase of Trump’s plans to release the hostages” held by Hamas. Despite this, Israeli troops launched a series of strikes in several areas of Gaza after Trump’s call, eyewitnesses told Reuters.
The day before, Hamas issued a statement announcing its “agreement to release all Israeli prisoners, both dead and alive, in accordance with Trump’s exchange formula” (he proposed to exchange hostages for Islamists in prisons in Israel). “In this context, the movement reaffirms its readiness to immediately begin negotiations through intermediaries to discuss the details of this agreement,” Hamas said. They also pointed out that they are ready to discuss Trump’s plan to transfer control of the Gaza Strip to an independent structure of Palestinian technocrats “on the basis of Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support”. At the same time, the Islamists virtually ignored the issue of disarming the group and a number of other topics.
Shortly before that, Trump had posted an ultimatum to the militants on Truth Social, demanding that they conclude a deal with Israel by the evening of Sunday, October 5. “If this LAST CHANCE is not achieved, a real war will break out against Hamas like no one has ever seen,” he said. According to the president, the Islamists remaining in Gaza are trapped and will be “hunted down and killed” if a peace agreement is not reached.
