Hamas says ready for peace talks, Trump urges Israel to halt Gaza bombing | International

GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Oct 4, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Hamas said on Friday it was ready to start immediate talks on freeing the Israeli hostages it holds and ending the Gaza war, welcoming US President Donald Trump's call for Israel to stop bombing the Palestinian territory. Trump's peace proposal, backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for a halt to hostilities in the nearly two-year conflict, the release of hostages within 72 hours, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas's disarmament -- a point the Islamist group did not mention in its response. The plan also insists that Hamas and other factions "not have any role in the governance of Gaza", with administration of the territory instead taken...