When word reached the White House on Friday afternoon that Hamas had, after nearly five days, responded to US President Donald Trump's 20-point proposal to end the war in Gaza, officials were so quick to embrace the group's statement, they posted it in full on social media, at one point mistakenly attributing it to Trump himself.

Hamas' response stopped well short of fully endorsing each of Trump's twenty points, including critical ones like demanding Hamas disarm and destroy their weapons, and that it play no role in governing Gaza in the future.

Yet Trump chose to focus on what Hamas did agree to rather than what it didn't.

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For him, the group's declaration it was ready to release all the remaining hostages held since the October 7, 2023, terror attacks was enough. And after months of frustratingly slow progress, Trump appeared ready to proceed as if peace was finally at hand – even if the finer details remained uncertain.

His reaction, posted only an hour or so after Hamas released its six-paragraph reply, had the effect of preempting any response from Israel itself, including from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who Trump and his team had pushed to accept the peace plan earlier in the week.

"Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

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"Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!"

In a statement from his office early Saturday, Netanyahu said that "Israel is preparing to immediately implement the first phase of Trump's plan for the immediate release of all hostages."

"We will continue to work in full cooperation with the president and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles set forth by Israel that are consistent with President Trump's vision," Netanyahu's office said.

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In a video posted to Truth Social Friday night, the president called it a "big day," adding: "In many ways, it is unprecedented."

"Everybody was unified in wanting this war to end and seeing peace in the Middle East, and we're very close to achieving that," he said.

It wasn't clear how coordinated Trump's response was with the Israelis; the White House did not announce a phone call between the men.

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And while Trump, in his video statement, personally thanked Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan for their efforts to broker peace, he made no mention of Netanyahu.

Even without a call, Trump's message was clear. After publicly heaping pressure on Hamas to accept the plan, including by issuing a Sunday night ultimatum to agree or else face "all hell" in Gaza, Trump was essentially shifting the onus back to Israel to end its bombardment. It was the first time Trump has explicitly told Israel to halt its relentless assault on Gaza.

An Israeli source told CNN that Trump's celebration of Hamas' response to the proposal surprised Netanyahu twice – including when Trump ordered that Israel immediately stop bombing Gaza, the source said, which forced Israel to halt its assault on Gaza City.

Israel was preparing to hold any renewed negotiations only under fire, as the Israeli military continued bombarding the battered territory. But Trump left Israel with little choice.

Neither the prime minister's office nor the Israel Defence Forces addressed Trump's demand that Israel "immediately stop the bombing of Gaza," or gave any indication of a timeline for the hostages' release. Israel is now preparing a negotiating team for talks to finalise the ceasefire proposal, according to an Israeli official.

Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, will travel to Egypt this weekend for negotiations on details of the hostage release agreed to by Hamas and other aspects of peace plan, according to two US officials.

Trump on Saturday afternoon (Sunday morning AEDT) announced that following negotiations, Israel has agreed to an "initial withdrawal line" that he said has also been shared with Hamas.

"When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal, which will bring us close to the end of this 3,000 YEAR CATASTROPHE," the president said on Truth Social.

Hamas's response drew a far more lukewarm response from even some of Trump's staunchest allies.

"Hamas' recent response to President Trump's plan to end the war – which Israel had accepted – is unfortunately predictable. A classic 'Yes, but,'" Senator Lindsey Graham wrote on X.

"No disarmament, keeping Gaza under Palestinian control, and tying hostage release to negotiations, along with other problems. This is, in essence, a rejection by Hamas of President Trump's 'take it or leave it' proposal."

Trump, however, was more willing to accept the statement as a positive development, even as he acknowledged there was still work to be done on finalising the details of the arrangement.

"We'll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down in concrete," he said in his video, taped from the Oval Office.

Trump had been waiting anxiously for Hamas to respond to his proposal over the last several days. In a call with Qatar's emir on Wednesday, Trump inquired about progress, but was told it may take longer for the group to respond.

Communication problems with Hamas' military leaders in Gaza contributed to the time it took to receive a response, as did divisions among Hamas leadership over elements of the plan, according to US officials, who were advised of the difficulties by regional partners this week.

Still, Trump was growing impatient, and issued the Sunday night ultimatum on Friday morning hoping it would spur Hamas into responding.

Ultimately, the response that arrived could have provided Trump an opening to declare Hamas intransigent, and green-light Israel escalating its assault – as he said he would do if Hamas rejected the plan. But Trump, in looking past the areas where Hamas appeared to differ with the plan, put Netanyahu in the difficult position of either accepting the response positively, or risking angering his top international ally.

Trump has been increasingly at odds with Netanyahu since reentering office in January, frequently engaging in tense phone calls with his counterpart over the unending nature of the war in Gaza and Israel's expansion of the conflict beyond its borders – all moves that could imperil Trump's chances of winning a Nobel Peace Prize.

So, too, have members of Trump's base become more and more disillusioned with Israel's war in Gaza as it nears its two-year mark, with some – including Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene – labelling Israel's actions a "genocide."

Most galling for Trump was the Israeli strikes in Qatar last month aimed at Hamas leaders, which Trump and US officials viewed as destabilising and harmful to ongoing efforts to negotiate a peace. Trump complained publicly the US wasn't given time to intervene.–

The strikes, which drew universal condemnation from Arab countries, eventually prompted Trump's team to begin work on the multipoint plan that became the proposal unveiled earlier this week, officials said.

In meetings in New York last week, top Trump aides – Witkoff and Kushner, reprising the Middle East adviser role he held in Trump's first term – worked to get Netanyahu's buy-in to the proposal, even as the prime minister appeared reluctant to sign on.

Trump's aides, and Trump himself, were explicit in their conversations with Netanyahu that the plan was the best – and last – chance for a negotiated end to the war. They warned Trump's mostly stalwart public support for Netanyahu and Israel could be at risk, according to US officials.

It was only after hours of discussion, and changing to some of the plan's wording, that Netanyahu eventually agreed to get on board, according to US officials. Some of the changes alarmed Arab nations that had been briefed on the plan the week prior. But as Trump and Netanyahu were meeting in the Oval Office on Monday, the White House published the text – cementing the changes and putting Hamas on notice to agree.

As part of their meeting, Trump held a telephone on his lap while Netanyahu telephoned Qatar's prime minister to apologise for strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha last month. The move was viewed as essential in advancing the negotiations, given the important role Qatar has played in mediating with Hamas.

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Millions of Australians are still facing a weeks-long wait to see promised student debt relief kick in after the new legislation took effect in late September.

The laws fulfil a key election pledge to cut student debt by 20 per cent for all Australians.

Today, it's been revealed when people can expect to start seeing that tangible relief.

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The tax office will begin applying the cut from mid-November, and anticipates that 50 per cent of people with a student debt will see the cut kick in by the end of that month.

Almost everybody else will see the cut applied to their balance by mid-December.

"Soon millions of Australians with student debt will get a text message from the ATO when the 20 per cent cut to their debt has been processed, a cut we promised during the election and have delivered," Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino said.

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"This is helping millions of students and graduates across the country who have invested in their education with the next step in their lives."

Regardless of when it kicks in, the reduction will be backdated to what a person's debt balance was on June 1, before indexation.

People will be notified by text message or email when the cut happens and will be able to check their accounts to see their new lower balance.

For someone with the average debt of $27,600, this will see $5520 wiped.

No action from debtors is required to ensure the cut is applied – it will happen automatically.

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"We promised we would cut your student debt by 20 per cent and we are delivering," Education Minister Jason Clare said.

"This is a big deal for 3 million Australians.

"This cut is already locked in to people's balances at 1 June but soon they will be able to see it and feel it.

"Just out of uni, just getting started, this is taking a weight off their back."

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Donald Trump's embrace of self-aggrandisement is a well-known part of his personal brand, and it has been on full display in recent days after the US Treasury posted an image of a $1 coin featuring the US president in rally mode.

The draft image of the silver coin was posted on X and shows a graven image of Trump with his fist raised in front of a US flag and the words "Fight – Fight – Fight" around the rim.

The coin also features the phrases "United States of America" and the phrase "E Pluribus Unum", which also graces the Great Seal of the US.

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https://x.com/TreasurerBeach/status/1974156375891804229

The Latin phrase translates roughly to "out of many, one", representing the federation of the US from a disparate set of states.

Trump's fist pump is a signature move but gained new significance when he performed the gesture after he was shot at onstage during a rally in Pennsylvania during a 2024 presidential campaign rally.

The coin appears to be a proposed special edition silver dollar to celebrate the US's upcoming 250th anniversary as a nation.

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"No fake news here," US Treasurer Brandon Beach posted on X.

"These first drafts honouring America's 250th Birthday and @POTUS are real. Looking forward to sharing more soon, once the obstructionist shutdown of the United States government is over."

The other side of the coin features Trump in a side-facing portrait.

It's not clear the controversial coin design will be minted: it's against US law to display the image of a sitting president or living former president. A president may be featured on a coin no sooner than two years following the president's death.

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"No coin issued under this subsection may bear the image of a living former or current President, or of any deceased former President during the two-year period following the date of the death of that President," according to the US code governing coin design.

In anticipation of America's 250th anniversary, Congress passed the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act, which allows the US Treasury to mint special $1 coins to celebrate the event. The act states that the treasury secretary may "mint for issuance during the one-year period beginning January 1, 2026, $1 dollar coins with designs emblematic of the United States semiquincentennial."

That law also states, "No head and shoulders portrait or bust of any person, living or dead, and no portrait of a living person may be included in the design on the reverse of specified coins."

While the treasury confirms that the drafts with Trump's portrait on either side are legitimate, a spokesperson emphasised that a final design has not been chosen.

"While a final $1 coin design has not yet been selected to commemorate the United States' semiquincentennial, this first draft reflects well the enduring spirit of our country and democracy, even in the face of immense obstacles," a treasury spokesperson told CNN, adding that they "look forward to sharing more soon."

In a press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked if Trump has seen the first draft images of the coin with his face on it.

"I'm not sure if he's seen it, but I'm sure he'll love it," Leavitt said.

With CNN.

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Exclusive: It's snake breeding season and Jake Thomas' house is about to be full of them.

The man behind Unreal Reptiles got his first pet snake at age six and has been keeping and breeding all sorts of critters for about a decade.

Now Thomas and plenty of other breeders around the country are preparing for another big season.

He's already got a few clutches of eggs incubating in his NSW home and is expecting to hatch anywhere from 150 to 200 babies in the coming months.

"In 2021, I had 58 clutches and about 380 babies," Thomas told 9news.com.au.

Plenty of Australians would baulk at the thought of it but when a single hatchling can sell for hundreds of dollars, one clutch can earn an experienced breeder like Thomas thousands.

And he's expecting up to 20 clutches this year alone.

The ins and outs of breeding snakes

Most snake breeders in Australia are hobbyists, Thomas included.

He mainly breeds non-venomous spotted, children's and Stimpson's pythons and learned most of what he knows from books and online forums, though breeding how-tos can be found all over YouTube these days.

"It's pretty simple," he said.

Fatten up the female, put a male in her enclosure, and if they hit it off she'll lay a clutch of eggs a few weeks or months later.

That's usually when breeders like Thomas take over.

He moves the eggs from the enclosure into home-made incubators constructed from damp kitchen sponges and plastic grating in Sistema containers.

He checks the eggs daily to make sure they're developing and the incubator conditions are ideal.

Mat from Killer's Pythons, also in NSW, does things a little differently.

"We use old wine fridges with double glass doors so we can see inside without opening it and letting the heat out," he told 9news.

The fridges are gutted, then fitted with heating cords and thermostats to control the temperature while the eggs incubate.

Once they're ready to hatch, the baby snakes use their egg tooth to cut a hole in the egg and wriggle free, though Mat usually cuts the hole wider to help them out.

Then it's a case of waiting for each hatchling's first shed, putting them into individual tubs, and teaching them to eat.

The cost of a clutch

Feeding baby snakes can cost a small fortune.

They eat thawed frozen mice, which can cost from $0.70 to almost $4 per mouse, and each snake needs one mouse every seven to 10 days.

Mat buys in bulk from private rodent suppliers to save money, as pet shops often charge "more than double" what they do.

Thomas does the same but if he has just 100 hatchlings, a single round of feeding will set him back a minimum of $70.

Most breeders won't sell hatchlings until they've taken 10 unassisted feeds, so that quickly becomes $700.

More, if some refuse to eat.

"I've had babies that haven't eaten for eight months before," he said.

"It's quite frustrating."

Breeders have to be budget-savvy in other areas to offset feeding costs, so DIY-ing incubators and hatchling enclosures out of household staples is common.

Thomas swears by cheap Sistema containers, while Mat hunts Facebook Marketplace for broken wine fridges and gets other supplies from Coles and Bunnings.

"One incubator probably cost me about $150 to $200 to build, including the broken cooler, some heat cord, a thermostat and screws and fittings," he said.

By the time a hatchling is ready for sale, breeders will have poured hundreds into raising it – and they don't always make that money back.

In it for the love of the game

The average spotted, children's or Stimson's python hatchling can sell for $200-$300, but some colour morphs (patterns) go for much more.

"If we get lucky with genetics we can have snakes worth thousands," Mat said

But he doesn't breed snakes to make money.

"For us, it's purely a hobby, I don't think we even break even to be fully honest."

Few breeders make enough profit to do it full-time and even Thomas barely breaks even at the end of a big breeding season.

They just do it for the love of the animals and the chance to create exciting new morphs.

"It's hatching out things that no one's ever hatched before, that's what's really rewarding for me," Thomas said.

More Aussies are starting to see the appeal, too.

More snakes entering Aussie homes

Snakes have become more popular pets since Thomas and Mat started breeding years ago.

Reptile ownership in Australia jumped from 2 per cent of households in 2019 to 3 per cent in 2025 according to Animal Medicines Australia's Pets in Australia study, and social media has helped shine a spotlight on snakes.

"There's definitely a big interest there and more people are definitely getting into it," Thomas said.

Reptile expos are also popping up all over the country, giving breeders the chance to connect with customers face-to-face and educate the next generation on the hobby.

With about 200 known species of snake in the country, Aussies can never know too much.

"The more we can educate people about snakes, the less we'll see the 'a good snake is a dead snake' mentality," Mat said. 

"And the less we will see people getting bitten."

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Police say the 11-year-old may be with a caretaker unknown to officers.

Two women have been found dead in a remote hiking area of Victoria's Alpine region.

A police helicopter and rescue squad made their way to an area near Mount Bogong this morning to remove the bodies of the two women.

The pair was discovered by other hikers before 1pm yesterday afternoon.

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Police are working to identify the women who are suspected to be in their 20s or 30s.

The area is only accessible by walking with the closest carpark more than two hours away.

The area was hit by gale force winds and sub-zero temperatures last week.

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Victoria Police Inspector Paul Hargreaves said the two woman's bodies may have been there for two or three days before they were discovered.

"When you look at that period of two to three days, they are exceptionally hard conditions, blizzard conditions you would call them," Hargreaves said.

"It's likely that the two people have succumbed to the weather conditions, causing severe hypothermia leading to their death."

Mount Bogong club president Keith Jackson said conditions could be "extreme" on the mountain.

"It's a beautful environment to be in until it's not," Jackson said.

"And when it's not, it's pretty extreme."

Police are urging anyone who has been in the area and noticed people looking disorientated to come forward. 

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Strike Four will also climb to $1.2m in the next midweek draw.

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