Following a communication from Hamas indicating that the terrorist group is willing to release the remaining hostages (or their remains), Donald Trump on Friday told Israel to “immediately stop the bombing of Gaza.”

This, the US president wrote in a social media post, would allow the hostages to be turned over safely and quickly.

The post included Hamas’s response to Trump’s proposed peace plan.

“Hamas appreciates the Arab, Islamic, and international efforts, as well as the efforts of American President Donald Trump, calling for an end to the war on the Gaza Strip, an exchange of prisoners, the immediate entry of aid, the rejection of the occupation of the Gaza Strip, and the displacement of our Palestinian people from it,” the group stated.

Its response followed an ultimatum that the president had issued earlier in the day. He had given Hamas until Sunday to hand over the last hostages taken during its October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel, which had left hundreds of people dead.

In retaliation, Israel attacked the Gaza Strip and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, sparking an international backlash.

Now, nearly two years later, Trump believes an end to the conflict is in sight.

“This is a big day,” Trump said in a video message released Friday night in which he thanks the countries involved in reaching a peace deal. “We will see how it all turns out.”

That cautious note seems appropriate. This is the Middle East, after all, and nothing is ever easy.

For example, it is fair to say that, at various points during this two-year conflict, neither Israel nor Hamas actually wanted peace.

And while Tel Aviv accepted Trump’s plan quickly, that was before Hamas said it would release the hostages. In other words, it was politically safe to do so.

Now, however, the US president has put the ball in Israel’s court, and hardliners, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are likely not happy about it… or the provision in the peace proposal that precludes Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip.

But Tel Aviv may not have much of a choice.

Israel is quickly running out of allies, and the international pressure to stop the indiscriminate killing of Palestinian civilians is ramping up.

Being viewed as the obstacle standing in the way of an opportunity to achieve peace, even if it is tenuous and temporary, will not benefit Israel, especially not if it angers Trump, who is Netanyahu’s last ally.

Foreign leaders were quick to respond to the news.

“Hamas’s acceptance of the US peace plan is a significant step forwards,” said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “There is now an opportunity to end the fighting, for the hostages to return home, and for humanitarian aid to reach those who so desperately need it.”

And French President Emmanuel Macron thanked Trump for his efforts and said there is now “an opportunity to make decisive progress towards peace.”

In what was a rebuke of Israel’s brutal tactics in the war, both France and Britain last month said they would recognize a Palestinian state.

It stands to reason that Tel Aviv will now try to convince the world that Hamas is simply playing for time and isn’t serious about wanting to end the conflict.

Of course, the same can likely be said for Israel as well, which is why the next 48 hours will be very interesting and could go a long way toward revealing who really wants peace… and it is quite possible that it is neither Tel Aviv nor Hamas.