Israeli Foreign Minister: Israel Does Not Intend to Resume War and Affirms Commitment to Trump's Plan
Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa'ar, affirmed his country's commitment to the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, pointing out that Israel "does not intend to resume the war in Gaza but relies on Hamas giving up its weapons".
This came in special statements by Sa'ar to "Fox News" today, Thursday, following the signing of the final draft of the agreement in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Sa'ar responded to a question about the withdrawal from the sector, saying, "We are committed to Trump's plan".
For her part, the spokesperson for the Israeli government, Shosh Bedrosian, announced that "all living and deceased hostages will be released next Monday". She added that the ceasefire will begin "within 24 hours" after the Israeli government approves it this evening.
In a simultaneous reaction, Hamas issued a statement conditioning the start of Israel's withdrawal from the main cities in Gaza on Friday, emphasizing that "the exchange of hostages and prisoners will not begin until after the ceasefire and withdrawal from the cities". The movement revealed that Israel will release 250 life-sentenced prisoners, noting that "the agreement stipulated the opening of 5 crossings to bring aid into the sector".
Hamas's statement also indicated that it received "guarantees from America and the mediators that Israel will not return to combat operations".
This development comes one day after the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 attack, where the talks in Sharm El Sheikh resulted in an agreement on the first phase of the 20-point American plan for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange, which was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump last night.
