World leaders have welcomed Hamas's positive response on Friday to US President Donald Trump's plan to free Israeli hostages in Gaza and end the nearly two-year war there.
After the group issued a statement addressing the proposal, Mr Trump said he believes Hamas is ready for peace.
“Based on the statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting peace. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the hostages out safely and quickly!” Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social network.
The US leader also said in a brief video message that “everybody will be treated fairly” in talks on the future of Gaza.
Hamas on Friday responded to Mr Trump's proposed peace plan for the enclave, just hours after he issued a deadline for the group to reach an agreement or face “hell”.
The group agreed to release all Israeli hostages captured in its October 7, 2023 attack but said other aspects of Mr Trump’s peace plan would be subject to negotiation.
A statement by the group said its response was formulated after “exhaustive” consultations within its leadership, other Palestinian factions as well as mediators and friends. The objective, it added, was to “reach a responsible position to deal with” Mr Trump's plan.
Israel ready for hostage release
In response, Israel said overnight that it is preparing for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas.
“In light of Hamas's response, Israel is preparing for the immediate implementation of the first stage of the Trump plan for the release of all the hostages,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
“We will continue to work in full co-operation with the President and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles set out by Israel, which align with President Trump's vision,” the statement added.
The statement made no reference to Mr Trump’s call for an immediate halt to Israeli strikes in Gaza.
Although the announcement was made over the Sabbath, when many Jews are religiously forbidden from working, the announcement drew praise from leading Israeli figures, who also cautioned against the possibility that Mr Netanyahu may try to derail the deal.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Mr Trump was “right that there is an opportunity here like no other to release the hostages and end the war,” in a post on X. He called on Israel to announce that it was joining negotiations.
Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker and one of Mr Netanyahu’s fiercest critics over the war, reposted Mr Trump’s statement with the caption “Did you choose Netanyahu?” Ms Zangauker, who famously used to vote for the prime minister, is now one of the leading figures in the movement for the release of Israeli hostages.
Yair Golan of the Democrats Party said: "Our collective mission is not to allow any - neither Hamas nor Netanyahu and his government ... to sabotage Trump's agreement”.
Regional reactions
Qatar and Egypt, leading mediators in the ceasefire talks, praised the announcement.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said that his country “welcomes the announcement by Hamas of its agreement to President Trump's plan”, also expressing support for Mr 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 ending the war”.
Hamas said it welcomed Mr Trump's efforts to end the war in Gaza, agreed to the release of all 48 hostages and said it was ready to immediately enter negotiations to discuss the details.
However, the statement said the future of Gaza and the rights of Palestinians should be decided by “national consensus” and be based on relevant international and laws and resolutions.
Sources, however, told The National, that the Hamas response handed to mediators on Friday was much more detailed than the statement and sought clarifications on parts of Mr Trump's 20-point proposal.
The militant group also said in its response it cannot hand over all hostages it is holding within 72 hours, as demanded by Mr Trump's plan.
Global reactions
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres “welcomes and is encouraged by the statement issued by Hamas announcing its readiness to release hostages and to engage,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
“He urges all parties to seize the opportunity to bring the tragic conflict in Gaza to an end,” the statement said.
In Europe, leaders and senior officials also welcomed the announcement.
“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” Mr 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”.
And Turkey's Foreign Ministry said the Palestinian group's response “provides an opportunity for the immediate establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza”.
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Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
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Director: Jared Hess
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Rating: 3/5
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PROFILE BOX:
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Rami Salman, Rishav Jalan, Ayush Chordia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Technology, Sales, Voice, Artificial Intelligence
Size: (employees/revenue) 10/ 100,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($800,000)
Investors: Eight first-round investors including, Beco Capital, 500 Startups, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Hala Fadel, Odin Financial Services, Dubai Angel Investors, Womena, Arzan VC
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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Mohamed Salah, Liverpool, Premier League, 23 goals, 46 points
Lionel Messi, Barcelona, La Liga, 22 goals, 44 points
'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Of Madness'
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg and Rachel McAdams
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