The Israeli army has been instructed to reduce activity in Gaza to a minimum, focusing on defensive actions only, and the operation to capture Gaza City has been stopped, according to IDF Military Radio. This development occurred over the past hour, following President Donald Trump's public call on October 3rd for Israel to immediately cease bombing Gaza to facilitate hostage release. Senior Hamas leader Osama Hamdan reiterated Hamas's conditions for hostage release, stating negotiations would take over 72 hours and that Hamas rejects non-Palestinian involvement in Gaza's governance, while agreeing to hand over administration to Palestinian technocrats or a national body linked to the PA. IDF Military Radio reported the instruction to reduce activity and halt the Gaza City capture operation, as shared via Telegram. This follows President Trump's statement on Truth Social around 9:45 PM UTC on October 3rd, where he asserted Hamas is "ready for lasting peace" and urged Israel to stop bombings to safely retrieve hostages. Hamdan, speaking to Al-Araby, also stated Hamas will not be excluded from Palestinian politics and governance and demands a positive response from Trump to Hamas's "positive" response. Demonstrations for Palestine and related to the "Flotilla" have been observed throughout Italy. Previous reports indicated that Hamas had conditionally accepted a peace plan, agreeing in principle to hostage release and administration handover but not immediately accepting disarmament demands. The State of Qatar welcomed Hamas's announcement and supported Trump's call for a ceasefire.
