Desk Report:
The Palestinian independence group Hamas has agreed to accept some of the main conditions of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan to end the two-year-old Gaza war. Immediately after Hamas’s official response, President Trump ordered Israel to immediately stop bombing Gaza. Immediately after his order, Israeli army chief of staff Yal Zamir told the country’s armed forces to be ready to stop the operation and ensure the release of hostages.
According to the Israeli media outlet Times of Israel, the Israeli army announced new measures following recent comments by Hamas and Trump on US President Donald Trump‘s proposal to end the war in Gaza and release prisoners. They said that army chief Lieutenant General Yal Zamir met with top generals. In this meeting, a special assessment of the ongoing situation was made.
The army said in a statement that the army chief ordered the Israeli forces to be ready on the instructions of the political leadership. The order was issued to prepare for the release of prisoners as part of Trump’s first phase of the plan. However, details of the steps to be taken were not provided.
The statement also said that the political leadership has ordered a temporary halt to the operation to capture Gaza City. Instead, it has been asked to focus on defensive operations. It emphasized that the safety of the soldiers is of utmost importance. All the capabilities of the army will be used to protect the soldiers in the Southern Command.
The army chief also noted that the current situation is very sensitive. Therefore, all forces must increase alertness and readiness. He also clarified the need to quickly deal with any threat.
