At least 36 people were killed in bombardments and airstrikes in the devastated Palestinian enclave since Trump demanded Israel halt its attacks late on Friday.
Eighteen
people died in sporadic incidents, while 18 people, including children,
were killed and several others wounded in an Israeli strike on a house
in the Tuffah neighbourhood in Gaza City, medics said. The attack
damaged several buildings nearby.
Israel
said it had targeted a Hamas militant who had posed a threat to its
troops in the area, and that reports of casualties were under review.
"The
IDF regrets any harm caused to uninvolved civilians and works to
mitigate harm to uninvolved civilians as much as possible," the Israel
Defense Forces said in a statement.
TRUMP URGES HAMAS TO MOVE FAST ON HIS GAZA PLAN
On
Saturday, Trump said he appreciated that Israel had "temporarily
stopped the bombing," and he urged Hamas, the Palestinian militant group
that controls Gaza, to move quickly on his plan "or else all bets will
be off."
"I
will not tolerate delay, which many think will happen, or any outcome
where Gaza poses a threat again. Let's get this done, FAST. Everyone
will be treated fairly!" Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
Hamas
had drawn a welcoming response from Trump on Friday by saying it
accepted certain key parts of his 20-point peace proposal, including
ending the war, Israel's withdrawal, and the release of Israeli hostages
and Palestinian captives.
But the group has left some questions unanswered, such as whether it would be willing to disarm, a key demand from Israel to end the war.
In
Washington, a White House official said on Saturday that Trump was
sending his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Egypt to finalize
the technical details of the hostage release and discuss a lasting peace
deal.
Egypt
will also host delegations from Israel and Hamas on Monday to discuss
the anticipated exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners,
the country's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Hamas' response to the plan drew a chorus of optimistic statements
by world leaders, who urged an end to the deadliest conflict involving
Israel since its creation in 1948 and called for the release of Israelis
still held in the enclave.
Another
possible boost to peace hopes came with a supportive statement from the
Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which is smaller than
Hamas but seen as more hardline.
The
group, which also holds hostages, on Saturday endorsed Hamas' response –
a move that could help pave the way for the release of Israelis still
held by both parties.
PALESTINIANS LOOK FOR 'RAY OF HOPE' AFTER HAMAS RESPONSE
Hamas' stance, and its backing by Islamic Jihad, may raise the spirit of Gazans,
who had watched one ceasefire effort after another fail as Israeli
strikes hit the strip over the past two years, creating a humanitarian
crisis and displacing millions.
"May
the suffering lift off the people of Gaza, the people of Gaza are among
the oppressed of the earth, and any ray of hope for the oppressed
people is a victory," said Sharif al-Fakhouri, resident of the occupied
West Bank city of Hebron.
Some
Palestinians expressed fear that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who
heads Israel's most far-right government ever, will ultimately withdraw
from any plan to end the war.
"What
is important is that Netanyahu does not sabotage this, because now that
Hamas agreed, Netanyahu will disagree, as he usually does," said
Jerusalem resident Jamal Shihada.
WORLDWIDE SUPPORT FOR END TO 'HORRIFIC WAR'
Netanyahu's
office said Israel was preparing for "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.
Trump
has invested significant political capital in efforts to end the war
that has left U.S. ally Israel increasingly isolated on the world stage.
Trump said on Friday he believed Hamas had shown it was "ready for a lasting PEACE" and he put the onus on Netanyahu's government.
Domestically,
the prime minister is caught between growing pressure to end the war —
from hostage families and a war-weary public — and demands from hardline
members of his coalition who insist there must be no let-up in Israel's
campaign in Gaza.
Israeli
far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on X that halting
attacks on Gaza was a "grave mistake," saying it would play into Hamas'
"time-wasting."
Israel
began attacking Gaza after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on
Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage,
according to Israeli tallies. Israel says 48 hostages remain, 20 of whom
are alive.
Israel's campaign has killed more than 67,000 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities.
"It's
time to end this horrific war and bring every single hostage back home.
We are for rebuilding and the rehabilitation," said Efrat Machikawa, an
active member of Israel's hostage families forum and the niece of Gadi
Moses, a hostage who was released in January.
Additional reporting by Mohammed Torokman, Mussa Qawasma, Pesha Magid and Rami Amichay; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Susan Fenton, William Maclean, Rod Nickel
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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