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Hamas has given a partial nod to Trump’s Gaza peace plan, agreeing on hostages and governance, but several key demands remain unresolved
In a significant turn in Gaza’s nearly two-year war, Hamas on Friday said it accepts key elements of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace proposal. (Representational image/AFP)
In a significant turn in Gaza’s nearly two-year war, Hamas on Friday said it accepts key elements of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace proposal, including the release of all remaining Israeli hostages and the handover of Gaza’s administration to a technocratic Palestinian body. Both commitments, however, come with conditions and are part of a broader response that falls short of full acceptance.
The statement came just hours after Trump issued a stark Sunday deadline, warning that “all HELL” would break loose if Hamas rejected the deal.
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“If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas,” Trump wrote Friday on social media. “THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.”
While the group’s partial nod has been welcomed by the United States, Israel, and key mediators like Qatar and Egypt, several core demands including full disarmament, a foreign-led transitional authority, and strict timelines remain unaddressed.
What About Disarmament?
One of the most contentious elements of Trump’s 20-point proposal is the demand that Hamas completely disarm. The plan calls for the “demilitarisation of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors”, with weapons to be “permanently placed beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning”. However, Hamas’s official response made no mention of disarmament.
A senior Hamas official, Mousa Abu Marzouk, told Al Jazeera that the group may be open to disarming eventually, but only under Palestinian authority: “We are ready to hand over the weapons to a future Palestinian body that runs Gaza,” he said. But he added that this would have to follow internal consensus, and was not something that could be dictated externally.
The absence of this pledge in the group’s formal statement was interpreted as deliberate. A veteran Arab diplomat told NBC News that while Hamas’s position might suggest implicit acceptance, the silence was more likely strategic: “They had no choice but to accept, but they won’t put it in writing unless they get guarantees,” the diplomat said.
Disarmament is one of the major sticking points that could determine whether the deal collapses or proceeds to the next phase.
Who Will Govern Gaza If Hamas Steps Down?
Hamas says it is prepared to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents, provided it is formed through national consensus and backed by Arab and Islamic states.
But Trump’s plan demands that Hamas have no role, directly or indirectly, in governing Gaza in the future. The plan envisions a foreign-led “Board of Peace” co-chaired by Trump and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair to oversee the transition.
This is where the divergence sharpens. Hamas has explicitly rejected the idea of foreign oversight. Abu Marzouk said they would “never accept anyone who is not Palestinian to control the Palestinians” and opposed Blair’s involvement as “particularly unwelcome” due to his association with the 2003 Iraq invasion.
For Hamas, the plan’s governance structure undermines Palestinian self-rule and risks isolating Gaza from the broader Palestinian cause, a key ideological red line.
Has Hamas Accepted The Timeline For Hostage Release?
Trump’s proposal demands that Hamas release all 48 hostages, alive or dead, within 72 hours of the deal’s enactment. While Hamas has accepted the concept of a full exchange based on Trump’s formula, it has not committed to the timeline.
Marzouk noted that locating remains could take weeks, making the 72-hour deadline unrealistic. The timeframe is one of the unresolved elements and could test Hamas’s sincerity in the coming days.
Does Hamas Accept Foreign Security In Gaza?
Trump’s plan goes beyond administrative transition; it also proposes the creation of a temporary multinational security force in Gaza, backed by Arab states and monitored internationally, to stabilise the region during the ceasefire and transitional phase.
The idea is to ensure security in a post-Hamas environment without an immediate Israeli or fully Palestinian force on the ground.
Hamas’s official statement did not address this clause at all. Unlike its outright rejection of the foreign-led “Board of Peace” for governance, the group has remained silent on the question of a foreign-backed security force.
That silence leaves the issue unresolved. While Hamas’s insistence on self-determination suggests it could oppose such a force, it has not directly rejected the idea, making this a likely sticking point for further negotiations.
What Does Hamas Want To Renegotiate?
Hamas has made clear that while it is willing to engage with Trump’s peace plan, it views several provisions as unfinished business. In its statement, the group said that issues concerning “the future of the Gaza Strip and the inherent rights of the Palestinian people” should not be imposed externally but decided through a “comprehensive Palestinian national framework” grounded in international law.
This means Hamas wants negotiations to involve all Palestinian factions, not just Hamas and Israel under US mediation, and insists that any agreement reflect a unanimous Palestinian consensus.
Among the unresolved questions are the long-term political structure of Gaza, its potential reunification with the West Bank, and the broader issue of Palestinian statehood.
Trump’s proposal offers no pathway to reunification and isolates Gaza as a separate entity under transitional control. Hamas has indicated it wants Gaza to remain part of the wider Palestinian cause, not treated as a standalone territory.
In short, Hamas is willing to negotiate practical steps like hostage release and administrative transition, but on existential questions of sovereignty, unity, and statehood, it is demanding renegotiation through a national and collective Palestinian process.
What Happens Next?
With Hamas offering only a partial acceptance of Trump’s 20-point plan, the immediate focus is on whether the agreement can move from words to action.
Israel has said it is preparing to implement Phase 1, centred on the release of hostages, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has underlined that any final settlement must align with Israel’s security red lines, including the elimination of Hamas’s military capacity.
Trump, who had warned that “all HELL” would break out if Hamas rejected the deal, shifted tone after the group’s response, declaring it was “ready for a lasting PEACE” and urging Israel to halt bombing so that hostages could be freed safely.
Mediators Egypt and Qatar have welcomed the opening but acknowledged that sticking points like disarmament, foreign oversight, and timelines still need to be resolved.
As one former Western diplomat with experience in the region told NBC News: “This may be the beginning of the end, but there is still more work to do. Hamas has not accepted key elements of the plan nor the timeframe for hostage releases. Trump’s call on Israel to halt strikes will call Hamas’ bluff over the coming days. It’s now up to Hamas. We either see hostages coming out this week or the war will restart.”
The coming days will reveal whether Hamas follows through with concrete steps or whether the gaps in Trump’s plan spark another round of fighting.
About the Author
Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follow her @kar…Read More
Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follow her @kar… Read More
October 04, 2025, 09:35 IST
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