UN Rights Chief, Volker Turk has hailed Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, calling it a “vital opportunity” to stop bloodshed in the Palestinian territory “once and for all.”
Turk expressed hopes that the momentum from 20-point plan will “pave the way for a permanent cessation of hostilities, followed by recovery and reconstruction,” his office said on X as it urged a resolution “in line with international human rights and humanitarian laws, and the much needed two-state solution.”
He called the plan an opportunity for all “parties and influential states to pursue in good faith” to flood the Gaza strip with humanitarian aid, and to ensure the release of the hostages and numerous detained Palestinians.
This comes after Hamas said late yesterday that it had agreed to certain provisions of Trump’s 20-point plan.
Hamas agreed to release all hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, as well as surrender governing power in the Gaza Strip, in accordance with Trump’s plan.
However, the Palestinian militant group asked for further negotiations on other parts of the plan, and did not say whether it would lay down its arms – a key part of Trump’s proposal unveiled on Monday.
Despite the qualified response by Hamas, Trump said in a post on Truth Social, “Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE.”
“Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that.
“We are already in discussions on details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”
Donald Trump
After the Hamas response, the office of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued a statement cited by local media saying that Israel was preparing for an “immediate implementation” of the first stage of the plan for the immediate release of all hostages. “We will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles laid out by Israel, which correspond with Trump’s vision for ending the war,” the statement said, making no mention of Trump’s demand that Israel stop bombing Gaza.
Hamas’ response to the deal on Friday, October 3, 2025, triggered a chorus of optimistic statements by world leaders urging an immediate cessation of the deadliest conflict involving Israel since its creation in 1948, and demanding freedom for the Israelis still held in the enclave.
Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a ceremony in Istanbul, welcomed Hamas’s reaction to a potential ceasefire deal, and said that the group was “ready for peace.”
“Hamas has shown, as it has done many times before, that it is ready for peace. Thus, a window of opportunity has opened for lasting peace in our region.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Israel Calls Gaza City “Combat Zone”
Meanwhile, the Israeli military warned Palestinians that Gaza’s north remains a “combat zone,” telling its residents to move south, even after United States President Donald Trump demanded Israel “stop bombing” the enclave when Hamas partially accepted his ceasefire plan.
In a statement on X, the Israeli army said that the area north of Wadi Gaza, which includes decimated Gaza City, is “still considered a dangerous combat zone” and called on residents there to move south via Rashid Street, the coastal route.
It added that Israeli forces continue to surround Gaza City and “attempts to return there pose a significant risk.”
The continuous bombardment of Gaza City has razed the territory’s largest urban centre, killing dozens of people daily, destroying numerous residential buildings and schools, and forcing tens of thousands of Palestinians to flee to an unknown fate to the south, often while being attacked en route.
Since mid-August, when Israeli troops launched a new punishing assault on Gaza City, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recorded more than 400,000 movements from northern to southern Gaza, mainly to Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis.
Southern Gaza is currently packed with hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians living in overcrowded enclaves, hoping to be able to return to the north.
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