‘Special day’: Trump provides big update on Israeli hostages

President Donald Trump responded Friday from the Oval Office after Hamas said it would comply with his demand to release hostages.

Hamas said it is ready to release the rest of the hostages and relinquish power as part of Trump’s proposed ceasefire, but only if Palestinian groups reach a joint position and regional Arab and Muslim nations endorse the move. Calling the moment “unprecedented,” Trump said the development is a turning point in efforts to end the conflict in the Middle East.

“I just want to let you know that this is a very special day, maybe unprecedented in many ways. It is unprecedented, but thank you all and thank you all to those great countries that helped! We were given a tremendous amount of help. Everybody was unified in wanting this war to end and seeing peace in the Middle East. And we’re very close to achieving that,” Trump said.

Trump credited allied nations with applying coordinated pressure on Hamas and pushing for a settlement.

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“I want to thank the countries that helped me put this together. Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and so many others. So many people fought so hard. This is a big day,” Trump added. “We’ll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down in concrete. Very importantly, I look forward to having the hostages come home to their parents and having – some of the hostages, unfortunately, you know the condition they’re in.”

Trump issued an ultimatum to Hamas on Friday, warning on Truth Social that the group must accept his ceasefire framework by Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern or lose the deal entirely.

“If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas,” Trump wrote.

Palestinians in Gaza have pleaded with the group to accept the terms in hopes of ending years of instability. More than 33,000 Palestinians have been displaced by Israeli operations, with nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population on the brink of famine as daily mass casualty events mount, according to United Nations data.

Trump’s initiative requires Hamas to immediately release all captives and transfer Gaza’s authority to an “International Stabilization Force,” where Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would take charge. The plan also calls for Palestinian experts to participate in governing under the new international body.

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