New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised US president Donald Trump’s efforts to bring about peace in Gaza after Hamas agreed to parts of his 20-point plan.
“We welcome President Trump’s leadership as peace efforts in Gaza make decisive progress. Indications of the release of hostages mark a significant step forward. India will continue to strongly support all efforts towards a durable and just peace,” PM Modi posted on X on Saturday.
The Indian Prime Minister had backed Trump’s Gaza peace plan from the start, saying it provides a viable pathway to long-term and sustainable peace for both Palestinian and Israeli people.
“We welcome President Donald J. Trump’s announcement of a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict. It provides a viable pathway to long-term and sustainable peace, security, and development for the Palestinian and Israeli people, as also for the larger West Asian region. We hope that all concerned will come together behind President Trump’s initiative and support this effort to end conflict and secure peace,” PM Modi wrote on X immediately after Trump announced his plan.
His endorsement was later reshared by Trump on his Truth Social platform, without adding any words of his own.
Late on Friday, Hamas accepted certain parts of the Gaza peace plan, including ending the war, Israel’s withdrawal, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian captives, aid and recovery efforts, and opposition to Palestinian expulsion from the territory. This came after Trump issued an ultimatum to the Palestinian group to accept his peace plan by Sunday, 6 pm (US time) or face “all hell”.
The US president also directed Israel to “immediately stop the bombing of Gaza” and said he believes Hamas is 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 the details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump also posted a video message thanking all the countries that helped broker the ‘peace’ in the Middle East.
“I want to thank the countries for helping me put this together – Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and so many others. So many people fought so hard. This is a big day. We’ll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down and concrete. Very importantly, I look forward to having the hostages come home to their parents. Some of the hostages – unfortunately, you know the condition they’re in – come home likewise to their parents because their parents wanted them just as much as though that young man or young woman were alive,” he said.
“It is unprecedented. But thank you all and the countries that helped. We were given a tremendous amount of help. Everybody was unified in wanting this war to end and seeing peace in the Middle East. We are very close to achieving that. Thank you all, and everybody will be treated fairly,” he added.