Death toll rises in Gaza after Israeli overnight strikes (Pic credit: AP)
Israeli bombardment on Gaza killed at least 57 people since dawn on Saturday, even after US President Donald Trump urged Israel to ” immediately stop the bombing of Gaza”, according to a Gaza’s civil defence spokesperson.”The death toll from the ongoing Israeli bombardment since dawn today stands at 57, including 40 in Gaza City alone”, Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza’s civil defence agency under Hamas authority, told AFP. “It was a very violent night, during which the (Israeli army) carried out dozens of air strikes and artillery shelling on Gaza City and other areas in the Strip, despite President Trump’s call to halt the bombing,” Bassal said. The airstrikes came hours after Trump announced that Hamas had agreed to release hostages and accept US plan to stop the war. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday that Israel was preparing for the “immediate implementation” of the first stage of Trump’s Gaza peace plan, which involves the release of Israeli hostages following Hamas’s positive response to the US proposal. Trump, on Friday, issued an ultimatum to Hamas demanding agreement to the peace deal by Sunday, 6 pm (Washington DC time), warning that “all hell, like no one has ever seen before,” would ensue if the deadline was not met. Responding to the ultimatum, Hamas announced on Friday that it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, both alive and deceased, under the terms of Trump’s Gaza proposal. The group also expressed readiness to immediately enter mediated talks to finalise the details. In its statement, Hamas said it agreed “to release all Israeli prisoners, both living and dead, according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump’s proposal” — provided the proper conditions for the exchanges are met. Trump welcomed the development, saying Hamas had shown it was “ready for a lasting PEACE” and urged Israel to change course. “Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. “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.” Netanyahu’s office said Israel “will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles set out by Israel, which align with President Trump’s vision.”
 "Netanyahu says diplomatic, military pressure compels Hamas to free hostages as talks move to Egypt")
