Hamas signals willingness to release hostages and end Gaza war, while U.S. President Donald Trump speaks on his Middle East Peace proposal [Image by University of Navarra]
(The Post News) – Hamas is preparing its reaction to Donald Trump’s proposed Gaza ceasefire offer, with sources suggesting the group will demand significant alterations but is still likely to sign off on the deal as a platform for renewed talks.
Trump published the 20-point Gaza plan for peace earlier this week, including a complete ceasefire within hours, the 72-hour release of Israeli hostages, a phased retreat by Israelis to a buffer zone, and international rule over Gaza. Hamas would be forced to disarm in exchange for the freeing of prisoners and assurances of humanitarian aid.
The US president set a deadline of “three or four days” for Hamas to respond, threatening that the group would “pay in hell” if it did not.
Hamas Under Pressure
A well-informed Hamas source, confirming dismantling as the hardest pill to swallow, referred to it as a “red line” without any larger political process or movement toward a two-state solution.
“Hamas now must choose between bad and worse,” said Mkhaimar Abusada, a Gaza-based political scientist. “If they respond with a no, Israel will escalate. If they respond with an affirmation, they will still try to keep leverage by asking for modifications.”
European Council on Foreign Relations’ Hugh Lovatt said conditional approval would be used against Hamas. “The writing is on the wall, but absolute rejection would give Trump and Israel an excuse to further escalate the war,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already ratified Trump’s terms, which hold many of Israel’s key demands. Netanyahu, who is being sought by the ICC on charges of war crimes in Gaza, warned that he would “finish the job” if Hamas rejected the scheme or was slow to adopt it.
The war, in its second year, began following the Hamas attack on southern Israel in October 2023 and cost 1,200 lives, while 250 were abducted as hostages. Israel’s response since then has cost more than 66,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom were civilians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Hamas leaders, who are split between Gaza, Doha and Istanbul, remain at loggerheads on how to respond. Qatar, Turkey and Egypt are piling pressure on the group to sign the agreement.
Hamas spokesman Mohammed Nazzal told Al Jazeera in an interview that the group continued to meet with Palestinian factions and brokers. “We are negotiating the plan seriously, other than the logic of time pressure and threats,” he said.
Despite Hamas’s staggering military defeats, thousands of fighters and senior commanders killed, experts say the group maintains a guerrilla presence in parts of Gaza. Israel claims it had destroyed most of Hamas’s rockets and command and control, but only 40% of its tunnel network.
International Reaction
Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty urged Hamas to accept the plan to prevent further escalation, but threatened that Cairo would stand firm against any forced relocation of Palestinians.
The EU requested Hamas to “lay down arms and free hostages,” while Russia announced that it would back the plan only if it led to a two-state solution. France referred to the plan as “Hamas’s surrender.”
Critics say the agreement mirrors previous Western attempts at remaking the Middle East without the cooperation of the locals. “It is reminiscent of the Iraq formula, which didn’t work,” said analyst Xavier Abu Eid, referring to the presence of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Hamas’s final reply is due in days.
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