^{Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images.}

The Tikva Forum for Families of Hostages said Monday that the plan announced by U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the Gaza war aligns with its core principles, including the return of all hostages in a single stage within 72 hours after Hamas accepts the agreement.

The Tikva Forum represents families opposed to concessions they argue could endanger Israelis or encourage Hamas to carry out future abductions. According to the group, the agreement announced by Trump and Netanyahu envisions Hamas’s defeat and the elimination of its threat to Israeli citizens.

“We believe this is the only path to prevent hostage-taking in the future and ensure the release of our loved ones. At these moments, our hearts are with the bereaved families, with the wounded, and with our heroic fighters, whose steadfastness and dedication have created the conditions for an agreement,” the forum said.

“However, Israel must continue to stand guard. For as long as these objectives have not been fully achieved, we cannot lay down our arms,” it continued.

“If Hamas violates its commitments, we demand that the United States and Prime Minister Netanyahu stand by their promise today to continue military action until the mission is complete, with the total destruction of Hamas’s capabilities,” it added.

Speaking at a press conference after the White House released the plan, Trump said Hamas had not yet agreed to the proposal, but that Arab and Muslim countries were negotiating with the terrorist group.

“We’re relying on the countries that I named and others to deal with Hamas, and I’m hearing that Hamas wants to get this done, too,” Trump said.

He added that if Hamas rejects the proposal, U.S. support for Israel’s war effort will continue. “If Hamas rejects the deal, which is always possible—they’re the only one left, everyone else has accepted it—but I have a feeling we’re going to have a positive answer. If not, as you know, Bibi, you’d have my full backing to do what you would have to do.”

The plan calls for an immediate ceasefire, a phased Israeli withdrawal from most of Gaza, Hamas releasing Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, amnesty for Hamas members who lay down their arms, and the creation of a “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee” to govern Gaza on a transitional basis.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, representing a broader group of hostage families, thanked Trump for his “unwavering commitment” to securing an agreement to bring the captives home.

“President Trump has accomplished what many said was impossible. His determination never wavered, even when others lost hope. The time he personally invested in pursuing peace in the Middle East and resolving this conflict that has destabilized the entire region, along with the personal guarantee he has placed on this agreement, deserves our deepest appreciation,” the forum wrote.

The forum referred to the initiative as a historic agreement that will allow the Israeli people to heal, end the war and chart a new future for the Middle East.

Source: JNS