Is Hamas backing Trump for Gaza breakthrough Nobel Prize? 'We value the efforts of Trump'

With the first hopeful signs of an end to the brutal war in Gaza, praise has been lavished on US President Trump for his part in the peace negotiations.

Some praise came from expected quarters, with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanking Trump "from the depths of my heart" for securing the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza. 48 Israeli citizens will be released this weekend as part of the breakthrough deal, only 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.

But Donald Trump was even the focus of praise from a group the US has spent $21 billion in military aid attempting to destroy, the militant Palestinian group Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since winning election in 2007 before violently ousting its rivals in the 141 square mile territory.

Peace Prize ambitions

Speculation has run wild throughout Trump's second term that the president has his sights set on a Nobel Peace Prize, the same honour handed to his predecessor Barack Obama in 2009 for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples".

Obama became the fourth U.S. president to claim the Nobel Peace Prize, following Theodore Roosevelt (1906) and Woodrow Wilson (1919)-who both received the accolade while in office-and Jimmy Carter (2002), who secured the award 21 years after departing the White House.

Trump's long-running prize campaign

The two-time president has waged a far-from-subtle Nobel Prize campaign stretching back years, launching his efforts during his first stint in office when he claimed "many people" believed he deserved it.

During a February meeting this year with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, he said: "They will never give me a Nobel Peace Prize. I deserve it, but they will never give it to me."

Grateful Hamas

Despite America and its ally Israel successfully assassinating almost every member of Hamas' leadership in Gaza over the past two years, the proscribed terror group lauded the US President's valued "efforts... aimed at definitively stopping the war and the complete withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip."

It is expected that around 2,000 Palestinians will also be released from Israeli custody as part of the peace plan, 250 of whom are people serving life sentences, and the remainder being Gazans detained since October 7.

Through a released statement, Hamas announced their agreement to "President Trump's proposals" which had been ironed out during crunch talks in Egypt over the past week, with both sides of the conflict mediated by Qatar. They said the deal was "aimed at reaching a cessation of the war of extermination against our Palestinian people."

What remains of Hamas might even have the chance to thank President Trump in person this week, following an indication that he could fly to the Middle East in the coming days to celebrate the return of the remaining hostages held in Gaza.

A government source speaking to CNN said the President's schedule for Friday could allow for an impromptu trip to the region, coinciding with Israeli citizens coming home after two years of captivity.

Meanwhile, media in Israel have reported that Netanyahu has invited President Trump to address the country's parliament, the Knesset, which is due to meet on Friday to approve the deal.

However, while this "first phase" of the peace plan appears to be agreed, Trump was clearly outlined by Hamas as responsible for ensuring that it succeeds.

They added in their statement: "We call on President Trump, the guarantor states of the agreement, and various Arab, Islamic, and international parties to compel the occupation government to fully implement the agreement's obligations"

Hamas' statement in full

After responsible and serious negotiations conducted by the movement and Palestinian resistance factions regarding President Trump's proposal in Sharm El-Sheikh, aimed at reaching a cessation of the war of extermination against our Palestinian people and the withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip; the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announces the reaching of an agreement that stipulates the end of the war on Gaza, the withdrawal of the occupation from it, the entry of humanitarian aid, and the exchange of prisoners.

• We highly appreciate the efforts of our mediator brothers in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, and we value the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump aimed at definitively stopping the war and the complete withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip.

• We call on President Trump, the guarantor states of the agreement, and various Arab, Islamic, and international parties to compel the occupation government to fully implement the agreement's obligations and not allow it to evade or delay the application of what has been agreed upon.

• We salute our great people in the Gaza Strip, in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and inside and outside the homeland, who have recorded unparalleled stances of pride, heroism, and honor, confronting the fascist occupation's projects that targeted them and their national rights; those great sacrifices and stances that thwarted the Israeli occupation's plans for subjugation and displacement.

• We affirm that our people's sacrifices will not be in vain, and we will remain true to our covenant, never abandoning our people's national rights until freedom, independence, and self-determination are achieved.