MOSCOW: Kirill Dmitriev, Special Envoy of the President of Russia for investment and economic cooperation, said on Saturday that US Presidential Envoy Steven Witkoff was a key driving force behind US President Donald Trump's plan to resolve the Gaza conflict.
"President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff was the key driving force behind Trump's Gaza peace plan — built for lasting Middle East peace. Legacy media, led by the NYT, tried to undermine Witkoff’s work — and in doing so, to undermine peace itself, " Dmitriev posted on X.
Earlier in the day, India time, Trump welcomed Hamas' decision to release all hostages from Gaza, saying it’s "a big day" and he looked "forward to having the hostages come home to their parents".
"I just want to let you know that this is a very special day. In many ways, it is unprecedented, but thank you all, and thank you all to those great countries that helped. We're very close to achieving that. We'll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down in concrete, " Trump said in a video address.
In a separate Truth Social post, Trump said Israel "must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!, " adding that he believed that Hamas was "ready for a lasting PEACE".
Trump's statements come after Hamas announced plans to free all Israeli hostages held in Gaza and hand over the bodies of captives.
In a statement on the social media site Telegram, Hamas said, "the movement affirms its readiness to immediately enter into negotiations through the mediators to discuss the details of this agreement".