Smoke rises following explosions in Gaza City after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept certain other terms of a U.S. plan aimed at ending the war, seen from central Gaza Strip, Oct. 4, 2025. (Credit: Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters)
The Israeli army announced on Saturday its intention to continue operations in Gaza despite calls from hostages’ families and Donald Trump to immediately halt the bombardments, following an agreement by Hamas to release the captives.
On Friday, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas said it was ready for immediate negotiations aimed at releasing the hostages and ending the nearly two-year-long war in the Gaza Strip, as part of a plan proposed by the U.S. president.
Trump immediately called on Israel to “stop the bombings in Gaza immediately, so that we can get the hostages out quickly and safely.”
But the local Civil Defense reported a “violent” overnight Israeli bombardment that killed six people in the starved and besieged Palestinian territory, where Israel is carrying out a destructive offensive in response to an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“Israeli troops are still conducting operations in Gaza City, and it is extremely dangerous to return. For your safety, avoid returning to the north or approaching areas where troops are active, including in the southern Gaza Strip,” said Avichay Adraee, a spokesperson for the Israeli army.
“The bombings were intense all night. I was relieved when Trump announced a cease-fire, but the fighter jets did not stop their attacks …” said Jamila al-Sayyed, reached by phone in Gaza City. Mahmoud Bassal, whose Civil Defense agency operates under the authority of Hamas, said that 20 houses were destroyed in the strikes.
The Israeli army, which controls about 75% of the Gaza Strip, wants to seize Gaza City, which it presents as Hamas’s main stronghold. On Sep. 16, it launched a major offensive there, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee.
‘Essential’
“The request by President Trump to immediately end the war is essential to prevent the hostages from suffering serious and irreversible harm,” said the Hostages Families Forum in a statement. Following Hamas’s response to the Trump plan, Israel said on Saturday it is preparing “for the immediate implementation of the first stage of the plan to release all hostages,” without mentioning a halt to its bombardments.
The U.S. plan calls for a cease-fire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, a phased withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and the exile of its fighters. It also provides for the establishment of a transitional authority composed of technocrats overseen by Donald Trump and the deployment of an international force. The plan excludes any role for Hamas “in the governance of Gaza.”
In its official statement, Hamas wrote: “In order to end the war and achieve the complete [Israeli] withdrawal from Gaza, the movement announces its agreement to release all living hostages and return the bodies of deceased hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, according to the exchange formula proposed by President Trump.” It also said it is ready for immediate negotiations on the “details” of the releases.
‘All issues’
However, Hamas does not mention the issue of its disarmament and emphasized that it will participate in discussions on the future of the territory. On Saturday, a Hamas leader said the movement is ready to begin negotiations to resolve “all issues,” after another senior Hamas official, Mahmoud Mardawi, described the U.S. plan as “vague and ambiguous.”
In this context, Hamas announced that Egypt will organize a conference bringing together the various Palestinian factions to decide on the post-war future of the Gaza Strip, on an unspecified date.
Of the 251 people abducted during the Oct. 7 attack, 47 remain hostages in Gaza, of whom 25 have died according to the Israeli army. Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and refuses any role for the Palestinian movement in the post-war period; Hamas has held power in Gaza since 2007.
The Oct. 7 attack resulted in 1,219 deaths on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data. In retaliation, Israel launched a devastating offensive in the small besieged territory, which has caused at least 66,288 deaths, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Gaza Ministry of Health, considered reliable by the UN.
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