Moscow, Oct 4
Kirill Dmitriev, Special Envoy of the President of Russia for investment and economic cooperation, said on Saturday that US Presidential Envoy Steven Witkoff was a key driving force behind US President Donald Trump's plan to resolve the Gaza conflict.
"President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff was the key driving force behind Trump's Gaza peace plan — built for lasting Middle East peace. Legacy media, led by the NYT, tried to undermine Witkoff’s work — and in doing so, to undermine peace itself," Dmitriev posted on X.
Earlier in the day, India time, Trump welcomed Hamas' decision to release all hostages from Gaza, saying it’s "a big day" and he looked "forward to having the hostages come home to their parents".
"I just want to let you know that this is a very special day. In many ways, it is unprecedented, but thank you all, and thank you all to those great countries that helped. We're very close to achieving that. We'll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down in concrete," Trump said in a video address.
In a separate Truth Social post, Trump said Israel "must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!," adding that he believed that Hamas was "ready for a lasting PEACE".
Trump's statements come after Hamas announced plans to free all Israeli hostages held in Gaza and hand over the bodies of captives.
In a statement on the social media site Telegram, Hamas said, "the movement affirms its readiness to immediately enter into negotiations through the mediators to discuss the details of this agreement".
It also agreed to hand over Gaza's administration to a "Palestinian body of independent technocrats, based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support".
Around 48 people are believed to remain in captivity, 20 thought to be still alive.
Hamas made its decision public hours after US President Donald Trump gave an ultimatum to the group to sign his Gaza peace plan by Sunday or "all hell will break out".
In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump posted, "An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, DC time. Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas," he said.
Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza outlines the establishment of a temporary technocratic government, with Israel pledging not to annex the Strip and ensuring that no residents are forced to leave. The agreement calls for an immediate end to the war if accepted, with all captives, both alive and deceased, returned within 72 hours.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government and the relevant security agencies have begun preparations for implementation of the first phase of the "Trump plan" for the release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
The Chief of the General Staff of Israel Defence Forces (IDF) convened a special situation assessment on Saturday in light of the recent developments.
"In accordance with the directives from the political echelon, the Chief of the General Staff instructed to advance readiness for the implementation of the first phase of the Trump plan for the release of the hostages. At the same time, it was emphasised that the safety of IDF troops is a top priority and that all IDF capabilities will be allocated to the Southern Command to ensure the protection of the troops," read a statement issued by the IDF.
"The Chief of Staff noted that, given the operational sensitivity, all troops must maintain high alertness and vigilance, in addition to reinforcing the need for a rapid response to neutralise any threat," it added.
The situation assessment meeting was also attended by IDF's Deputy Chief of Staff, the Head of the Operations Directorate, the Head of the Intelligence Directorate, the Head of the Planning Directorate, the Commander of the Defence Intelligence Headquarters, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the Commander of the Southern Command, and the Commander of the Air Force.
