By Eric Vandenbroeck and co-workers

Israel is preparing to implement the first steps

US President Donald Trump told Israel on Oct 3 to immediately stop bombing Gaza after Hamas agreed to release hostages and some other terms in a US plan to end the war, but vexing issues like disarmament appeared unresolved.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that Israel was preparing for an “immediate implementation” of the first stage of Trump’s Gaza plan for the release of Israeli hostages, following Hamas’ response.

Shortly after, Israeli media reported that the country’s political echelon had instructed the military to reduce offensive activity in Gaza.

The Israeli military chief of staff instructed forces in a statement to advance readiness for the implementation of the first phase of Trump’s plan, without mentioning whether there would be a reduction of military activity in Gaza.

Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza, responded to Trump’s 20-point plan after the   US president gave the group until Oct 5 to accept or face grave consequences.

Trump, who has cast himself as the only person capable of achieving peace in Gaza, has invested significant political capital in efforts to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and left US ally Israel increasingly isolated on the world stage.

 

To sum up;

Trump said he believed Hamas had shown it was “ready for a lasting PEACE” and he put the onus on Netanyahu’s government.

Hamas has accepted core elements of US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, including the return of all Israeli captives, but analysts say the details need to be hammered out in negotiations.

Trump has welcomed Hamas’s statement and called for Israel to stop bombing Gaza, while negotiators Qatar and Egypt say they are committed to putting the peace plan in place.

Israeli attacks continue to pummel Gaza City, killing at least 42 people in the city since dawn, including three children in the Sabra neighborhood. A total of 72 people have been killed across the Gaza Strip today.

Israeli settlers have stormed a Bedouin community in the occupied West Bank, adding to an ongoing uptick in Israeli settler violence in the two years since Israel started its war on Gaza.

Hundreds of Global Sumud Flotilla members are still detained in Israel, with some reportedly transferred to Ktzi’ot Prison in Israel’s southern Negev region and several deported from the country.

 

 

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