Gaza peace plan: key reactions to Hamas's response

Both Israel and now Hamas have signaled support for the new U.S. plan to end the war in Gaza and release all remaining hostages there.
3 min read
Israel and Hamas back a U.S. proposal to halt the Gaza war and free all hostages. Trump urged Israel to stop bombing and said Hamas must act fast for peace. [Getty]

International reactions have been pouring in following Hamas's positive response to US President Donald Trump's plan to free Israeli hostages in Gaza and end the nearly two-year conflict.

Here are some of the main reactions from around the world:

United States

"Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off. I will not tolerate delay," Trump said on Saturday, on his Truth Social page.

"Let's get this done, FAST."

Trump on Friday had expressed appreciation that "Israel has temporarily stopped the bombing" -- but Israel said on Saturday it was continuing with its military offensive in Gaza.

Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday he hoped to "bring back all our hostages... during the Sukkot holidays", which begin on Monday and last for a week.

Netanyahu said he had instructed negotiators to travel to Egypt to "finalise the technical details" of a deal on Gaza.

He vowed that "Hamas will be disarmed ... either diplomatically via Trump's plan or militarily by us".

Earlier, Netanyahu's office said Israel was working "to end the war in accordance with the principles set out by Israel, which align with President Trump's vision".

Mediating countries

Qatar "welcomes the announcement by Hamas of its agreement to President Trump's plan", said foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari, also expressing support for Trump's call for an immediate ceasefire.

Egypt said it hoped "this positive development will lead all parties to rise to the level of responsibility by committing to implementing President Trump's plan on the ground and end the war".

United Nations

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "welcomes" Hamas's response and "urges all parties to seize the opportunity to bring the tragic conflict in Gaza to an end", spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

UN rights chief Volker Turk said he hoped the plan would "pave the way for a permanent cessation of hostilities... in line with international human rights and humanitarian laws".

It was, he said, a "vital opportunity for all parties and influential states to pursue in good faith and stop -- once and for all -- the carnage and the suffering in Gaza, to flood the strip with humanitarian aid, and to ensure the release of the hostages and numerous detained Palestinians".

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, added: "In two years, we have never been closer to securing peace than now.

"We cannot miss this opportunity. Too many lives have been lost and shattered," he wrote on X.

Europe

"The release of all hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza are within reach!" French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X, joining a chorus of hopeful European reactions to Hamas's response.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the plan represented "the best chance for peace" in the conflict and that Germany "fully supports" Trump's "call upon both sides".

Britain's Keir Starmer called Hamas's acceptance "a significant step forwards" and urged all sides "to implement the agreement without delay".

Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he believed Hamas was showing "as it has done many times before, that it is ready for peace".

The foreign ministry said the Palestinian group's response "provides an opportunity for the immediate establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza".

Jordan

Jordan's foreign ministry welcomed Hamas's response.

It "stressed the need to immediately halt the Israeli aggression on Gaza, open the border crossings to allow the immediate, adequate and sustainable delivery of humanitarian aid to all parts of the strip, and launch a genuine effort to achieve a just peace".

Hezbollah

The head of Hezbollah, the Hamas ally in Lebanon, Naim Qassem, said Washington's Gaza ceasefire plan was "full of dangers" and accused Israel of using it to achieve what it "failed" to do during the war.

"It is Israel's project, which it seeks to achieve through politics after failing to achieve it through military action, aggression, genocide and famine," he added.