Trump says Israel has agreed to “initial withdrawal line”; ceasefire hinges on Hamas confirmation as strikes continue
WASHINGTON — Former US President Donald Trump said on social media that Israel has accepted an “initial withdrawal line” for Gaza and that the details have been shared with Hamas, setting the stage for a tentative ceasefire and a prisoner swap — but only “when Hamas confirms.” The announcement came amid renewed Israeli bombardment that killed dozens on Saturday, underscoring how fragile any pause remains on the ground.
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How the deal would start
Mr. Trump said that once Hamas confirms its acceptance the ceasefire would be effective “immediately” and a transfer of hostages would begin. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered negotiators to travel to Cairo to work on technical particulars and expressed hope that hostages could be brought home “in a matter of days,” even tying a potential return to the start of the Jewish festival of Sukkot.
Egypt confirmed it would host a Hamas delegation to discuss the “ground conditions and details of the exchange of all Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners” under a formula outlined in Mr. Trump’s proposal. The White House said Mr. Trump had dispatched two envoys to Egypt — his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff — to help shepherd the talks.
Hamas said late on Friday it had given “approval for the release of all hostages — living and remains — according to the exchange formula included in President Trump’s proposal,” language that Mr. Trump promptly hailed as proof the group was “ready for a lasting PEACE.” He warned, however, that Hamas needed to move fast “or else all bets will be off.”
Violence did not stop
Despite the high-level diplomacy, the bombardment of Gaza persisted. The territory’s civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas authority, reported at least 57 deaths since dawn on Saturday — 40 of them in Gaza City — and said air strikes, artillery shelling and drone fire continued with intense frequency.
“Israel has actually escalated its attacks” since calls for a pause, said Mahmud Al-Ghazi, 39, from Gaza City’s Al-Rimal neighbourhood. “Who will stop Israel now? We need the negotiations to move faster to stop this genocide and the ongoing bloodshed.”
Other residents described a mix of shock and guarded hope after Hamas’s statement. In tent camps near the coast an AFP journalist heard cries of “Allahu akbar!” as news spread, and Sami Adas, 50, who lives in Gaza City, said: “The best thing is that President Trump himself announced a ceasefire, and Netanyahu will not be able to escape this time… (Trump) is the only one who can force Israel to comply and stop the war.”
What’s in the proposal — and why it’s contentious
The draft plan presented by Mr. Trump seeks a comprehensive package: an immediate halt to hostilities, the release of hostages within 72 hours, a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups. It would also bar Hamas from any future role in Gaza’s governance and envisages a technocratic administration overseen by a post-war transitional authority, described in the proposal as led by Mr. Trump.
The idea of a foreign-led, technocratic interim authority — and of an ex-president playing such a central role — has alarmed many observers who question its legality and practicality. Hamas has insisted it must have a voice in Gaza’s future, and Israeli officials are divided over the terms and the sequencing of withdrawals and demilitarisation.
Prime Minister Netanyahu stressed in public remarks that “Hamas will be disarmed… either diplomatically via Trump’s plan or militarily by us,” signalling that Israel retains the option to press its offensive should diplomacy falter.
International reaction and the wider stakes
Outside the region, reactions ranged from cautious optimism to scepticism. In Ireland, Taoiseach Micheál Martin called Hamas’s announcement “very welcome news” for families of the hostages and urged an immediate ceasefire and surge of humanitarian aid. Ireland’s Tánaiste and foreign minister Simon Harris similarly welcomed the development and reiterated support for a two-state solution.
The human cost on both sides remains stark: Israeli officials put deaths from Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack at around 1,219, mostly civilians, while Gaza’s health ministry, in figures the United Nations considers the most reliable available, says more than 67,000 Palestinians have died since Israel’s retaliatory offensive began — with over half reportedly women and children.
Can the ceasefire hold?
The coming 48–72 hours will be pivotal. Negotiators head to Cairo to hammer out logistics and timelines, but the mechanics of any truce are fraught: who will verify the release of captives, how will disarmament be monitored, what guarantees will there be that Israel’s withdrawal is substantive, and who will ensure unhindered humanitarian access?
Personalized diplomacy, like Mr. Trump’s active involvement from outside the presidency, reflects a broader global trend of high-profile intermediaries — often former or current national leaders — trying to broker deals in intractable conflicts. Such back-channel pressure can sometimes unlock frozen talks, but it can also raise questions about long-term legitimacy and local buy-in.
On the ground in Gaza, the calculus is brutally simple: families awaiting the return of hostages want any moment of pause; civilians buried under rubble need aid; and fighters on both sides are measuring whether the ceasefire buys time or cements new conditions of occupation and control.
As negotiators converge in Cairo, the central question is whether a deal announced in a social media post can be transformed into a durable halt in bloodshed — and whether the international community can translate ceasefire mechanics into a credible path toward reconstruction and political resolution. If history is any guide, the diplomacy will be messy. But for thousands of families on both sides, the stakes could not be higher.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
