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Hamas said on Friday that it approved parts of Donald Trump’s ultimatum to end the war in Gaza, agreeing to a hostage exchange and to surrender governing power in the Gaza strip, but insisted on further negotiations over aspects of the plan.
The group did not say whether it would lay down its arms – a key part of Trump’s proposal – and kept its response vague to other parts of the 20-part proposal unveiled on Monday.
It was unclear how Trump would respond to the acceptance, which came just hours after he gave a Sunday deadline for the group to reply. He said if an agreement was not reached “all hell” would break out against Hamas, whose fighters he described as surrounded and trapped.
In a statement, Hamas said that it was giving its “approval of releasing all occupation prisoners – both living and remains – according to the exchange formula contained in president Trump’s proposal, with the necessary field conditions for implementing the exchange”.
Hamas also said it was prepared to turn over “the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independent technocrats based on Palestinian national consensus and supported by Arab and Islamic backing”.
However, the group said “other issues” in Trump’s proposal would need to be discussed further “within a unified Palestinian national framework”. The unspecified issues would likely include arms, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and international guarantees for a permanent ceasefire.
Trump’s plan called for an immediate end to fighting in Gaza, an exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners within 72 hours of the deal’s signing, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and a transitional authority led by Trump.
The deal also stipulated a surge of aid to Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine, and the reconstruction to the mostly demolished strip.
The deal was largely seen as unfavourable to Hamas and if agreed in full, would likely spell the group’s end as an armed Palestinian faction while demanding few concessions from Israel. International pressure on the group to accept the plan has been intense, with most regional and international powers welcoming the Trump initiative.
The catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, with Israel’s continued aid blockade and daily bombing, also puts pressure on the group to reach an agreement to end the war.
Though Hamas did not immediately agree to disarm, its acceptance of a hostage handover will be seen as significant. The 48 hostages have been used as leverage throughout the nearly two-year war. Giving them up would we leave the group with few bargaining chips going forward.
Neither the White House nor Israeli officials have yet responded to Hamas’s request for amendments.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians and wounded about 170,000, according to the Gaza health authority. The war was launched by Israel in response to Hamas-led militants killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages in Israel about nearly two years ago.
