Hamas said on Friday it was ready to start immediate talks on freeing the Israeli hostages it holds and the end of the Gaza war, welcoming US President Donald Trump’s call for Israel to stop bombing the Palestinian territory.

“President Trump’s statements on the immediate cessation of Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip are encouraging," Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nunu told AFP.

“Hamas is ready to immediately begin negotiations to achieve a prisoner exchange, end the war and ensure the withdrawal of the (Israeli) army from the Gaza Strip," he added.

Trump had hailed an earlier statement from Hamas that it was committed to a “lasting peace", in response to the US leader giving the group until 2200 GMT on Sunday to accept his 20-point plan or else face “all hell".

In that statement, Hamas a

See Full Page