U.S. President Donald Trump called on Israel to immediately stop bombing Gaza to facilitate a safe and swift hostage release, stating in a video response on October 3rd, 2025, that Hamas is "ready for lasting peace." The statement, released within the past 29 minutes, follows Hamas's conditional acceptance of a peace plan. Senior Hamas leader Osama Hamdan elaborated on Hamas's conditions in comments to Al-Araby, stating that hostage release requires negotiations that will take more than 72 hours. Hamdan also reiterated Hamas's rejection of non-Palestinian involvement in managing Gaza, foreign peacekeeping forces, or a foreign administration, while agreeing to hand over governance to Palestinian technocrats or a national Palestinian body linked to the PA. Hamas also demands a positive response from President Trump to its "positive" response. President Trump's call for an immediate cessation of bombings in Gaza was made public via Truth Social on October 3rd, 2025, around 9:45 PM UTC, and was reportedly not preceded by consultation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This development comes as Israeli bombing and air strikes were reported to be ongoing in Gaza City, despite Trump's call for a ceasefire. Previous reports indicated that Hamas's response, received by President Trump between 8:37 PM and 9:06 PM UTC on October 3rd, 2025, agreed in principle to hostage release and handing over Gaza's administration to a Palestinian body, but did not immediately accept disarmament demands or the entry of foreign forces. The State of Qatar welcomed Hamas's announcement of agreement to President Trump's plan and its readiness to release hostages, affirming support for Trump's call for an immediate ceasefire to end bloodshed in Gaza. Qatar and Egypt, in coordination with the United States, have begun working to continue discussions on the plan to end the war, as announced via X by Majed Al-Ansari.
