"We are on the verge of achieving a major result. I hope to be able to announce to you the release of all our hostages, in one fell swoop." The day after Hamas's "open" response to Donald Trump's plan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation in a video message recorded in Hebrew and broadcast to the media and television. He explained the acceleration of the last few hours to the Israelis and reaffirmed his red lines on the eve of new talks in Egypt. "The United States and Israel will limit negotiations to a few days. Then Hamas will be dismantled," he assured, emphasizing that it was Hamas that "was forced to accept the Trump plan." Not Israel. On the contrary: "In order to return the remaining 48 hostages, a few weeks ago I ordered the IDF to enter Hamas's most important stronghold, Gaza City. At the same time, I coordinated a diplomatic move with President Trump and his team that turned the situation around in an instant: instead of Israel being isolated, Hamas is isolated," he assured.

"After negotiations, Israel has accepted the initial withdrawal line, which we have presented and shared with Hamas," Donald Trump announced on Truth. " Once Hamas confirms, the ceasefire will take effect immediately , the exchange of hostages and prisoners will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of the withdrawal, which will bring us closer to ending this 3,000-year catastrophe."

Shortly before, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar had also claimed that the American peace plan "was not imposed on Israel, but is largely an Israeli initiative." Netanyahu then insisted that "the IDF will remain in the territories it controls in the Gaza Strip," contrary to the three-phase withdrawal envisaged in the plan, which is one of the key points of contention with Hamas. The prime minister then told Israelis that he "hoped to be able to announce the return of the abductees by the Sukkot holiday," which this year falls between October 6 and 12, coinciding with the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

The families of the hostages are pushing for a swift agreement based on the American plan, calling on the entire Israeli population this Saturday to demonstrate solidarity. 120,000 responded by taking to the streets of Tel Aviv during these "decisive days." "This is the moment when all of Israel must unite and demand: do everything possible to bring our brothers and sisters home and end the war. We will not rest until the last hostage returns," declared the Family Forum. During the hectic night between Friday and Saturday, despite it being Shabbat, the prime minister held talks with ministers Israel Katz and Ron Dermer and summoned the two far-right government representatives Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir for Saturday evening.

Ben Gvir himself, before meeting the prime minister, threatened to resign from the government if Hamas "continues to exist" after the hostages' release. Opposition leader Yair Lapid warned that he will not allow the two messianic ministers to boycott the plan. Israel is currently focusing on the first phase of the agreement, which concerns the release of all hostages. The intention, commentators say, is to conduct a very brief and focused negotiation on the details of the hostage release mechanism and the names of the Palestinian prisoners who will be released. The assessment is that, if the agreement fails, Israel will be able to continue fighting with US approval . Dr. Nasser Laham, considered very close to Abu Mazen, declared that Trump's plan is not to end the war, but "to change the Middle East. The next phase will not only be the emergence of new political figures, but what will truly distinguish it will be new political programs." The old programs have worn out, and the electorate is feeling tired," he said, anticipating the intentions of the president of the ANP to change course compared to the past.

(Unioneonline)

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