Payam Javan: Hamas said Friday it has accepted key elements of U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan and agreed to release all hostages under the exchange formula laid out in the proposal, while reserving the right to consult further with Palestinian factions on some provisions. The group said it would hand over administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian technocratic body supported by Arab and Islamic backers, and expressed readiness to begin mediated negotiations to finalize the details of any exchange. Hamas confirmed it will release living hostages and return the remains of those who have died, but framed other issues about Gaza’s future and Palestinian rights as subjects for a broader national discussion.

President Trump responded on social media and in a later Truth Social video, calling the development “a very special day” and urging Israel to halt bombing so hostages could be freed “safely and quickly.” He thanked regional partners — including Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt — for their roles and said leaders were unified in seeking an end to the war. Trump had earlier given Hamas an Oct. 5 deadline to accept the plan and warned that failure to do so would lead to harsher action; his statements stressed both the possibility of a negotiated settlement and a threat of continued military pressure.

Reactions in Washington were mixed: some Republicans criticized Hamas’s caveats as effectively a rejection of a “take it or leave it” package, while other officials hailed the prospect of hostages being returned. The plan — which Israel has approved — calls for a phased Israeli withdrawal to an agreed line, suspension of military operations in Gaza, release of prisoners and a transitional authority in Gaza that would exclude Hamas from governance. Mediators and regional states are now expected to work with both sides to convert broad agreement into concrete, enforceable terms and to oversee the proposed transfer of authority and the hostage exchange.