Trump gives Hamas ‘last chance’ to agree to his peace plan

The Kurdistan Post

US President Donald Trump on Friday gave the Palestinian Hamas movement a deadline to release Israeli hostages and agree to his latest plan to end the Gaza war, warning that “all HELL” will break out against Hamas if it fails to do so. 

“RELEASES THE HOSTAGES, ALL OF THEM, INCLUDING THE BODIES OF THOSE THAT ARE DEAD, NOW!  If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas,” said Trump in a post on his Truth Social platform. 

Trump added that “an Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time,” before he gives the “GO” to the forces and their lives will be “quickly extinguished.”

Palestinian Hamas militants launched a large-scale incursion into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,170 people, according to Israeli figures. Israel responded with a massive ongoing offensive in Gaza, killing more than 66,000 people, mostly civilians, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Trump on Monday unveiled a “comprehensive plan” aimed at ending the near two-year-long war in Gaza, which includes the release of all Israeli hostages within 72 hours, and the demilitarization of the Palestinian enclave, alongside the exclusion of the Palestinian movement Hamas from any future political role in Gaza.

Despite the announcement, many Palestinians in Gaza have expressed skepticism and frustration over the proposal, doubting its potential to end the ongoing conflict.

The Turkish Presidency said in a statement late Friday that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Trump spoke on the phone, noting that the call was requested by the American leader.

“Underscoring that Turkey makes intensive efforts in order for peace and calm to prevail in the entire region, first and foremost in Gaza, President Erdogan voiced Turkey’s pleasure over the initiatives to that end,” read the statement.