PM Modi Welcomes Trump’s Leadership as Gaza Peace Efforts Advance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday praised US President Donald Trump’s role in pushing forward peace efforts in Gaza, calling recent signs of progress “a significant step forward.”

In a post on X, Modi wrote: “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.”

The remarks came after Hamas announced it had accepted parts of Trump’s plan to end the nearly two-year war, including the release of all remaining hostages from the October 7, 2023, attacks. In response, Trump urged Israel to halt its bombing campaign.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel was preparing for the “immediate implementation” of the plan’s first stage, focused on hostage release. Israeli media later reported that political leaders had instructed the military to scale back operations in Gaza.

Hamas’s response, however, left major sticking points unresolved. While signaling readiness to hand over power to a neutral Palestinian body, Hamas did not commit to disarming — a key demand in the Trump plan. It also maintained its call for Israel’s full, immediate withdrawal from Gaza, rejecting the phased pullout proposed by Washington and Tel Aviv.

Qatar said it had begun coordinating with Egypt and the US to keep talks moving.

The conflict, now nearing its second year, has exacted a devastating toll. Israel launched its offensive after Hamas’s October 7 attack, which killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken, according to Israeli figures. Israel says 48 hostages remain, including 20 alive. Gaza health authorities report over 66,000 deaths from Israel’s campaign, with famine and destruction leaving dire humanitarian conditions across the enclave.

Trump’s 21-point plan calls for an immediate ceasefire, the exchange of all hostages for Palestinian prisoners, a staged Israeli withdrawal, Hamas’s disarmament, and the creation of a transitional international-led governing body in Gaza.