Sa’ar says Israel wants to end Gaza war based on new Trump plan

Israel seeks to bring the war in Gaza to an end “based on President Trump’s proposal and in accordance with the principles established by the security cabinet,” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković in Zagreb, Sa’ar office says.

The statement appears to mark the first  time an Israeli official has publicly accepted the outline that the White House presented last week for an end to the war in Gaza and the release of all hostages, though Israel and the US have yet to officially reveal what it entails.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that Israel had accepted his terms for a hostage deal that ends the war, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to hold a cabinet meeting to discuss the exchange, which could well face pushback from his far-right coalition partners over any requirement to withdraw from Gaza, where many of them envision Israel reestablishing settlements.

The proposal envisions Hamas releasing all remaining hostages within the first 48 hours of the deal in exchange for an assurance from the US that Israel would not subsequently resume the war, along with the release of several thousand Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, including roughly 250 serving life sentences for involvement in attacks in which Israelis were killed, an Arab mediating source told The Times of Israel.

According to the Israeli readout, Sa’ar tells his host that “while Israel desires peace, it cannot and will not compromise on its security and the security of its citizens.”