Hamas on Wednesday signalled openness to a ceasefire agreement with Israel but stopped short of accepting a US-backed proposal unveiled by President Donald Trump just hours earlier. The group reiterated its long-standing demand that any deal must bring a complete end to the war in Gaza.
Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire and urged Hamas to accept the terms before the situation worsens. The US president has stepped up pressure on both Israel and Hamas to secure a ceasefire, facilitate hostage releases, and move toward ending the war.
“The 60-day period would be used to work toward ending the war,” Trump said, though Israel has maintained that the conflict won’t end until Hamas is defeated. Trump suggested a deal might materialise as early as next week.
Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said the group is “ready and serious regarding reaching an agreement” and is open to “any initiative that clearly leads to the complete end to the war,” a report by AP reported.
A Hamas delegation is expected in Cairo on Wednesday for talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators, according to an Egyptian official who spoke anonymously, the report added.
Differing conditions
A major stumbling block throughout the 21-month war has been the opposing views on how the conflict should end. Hamas says it is willing to release the remaining 50 hostages, fewer than half of whom are believed to be alive, in exchange for a complete Israeli withdrawal and a formal end to hostilities.
Israel, however, insists that the war will only end with Hamas’ surrender, disarmament, and exile, terms Hamas continues to reject.
Story continues below this ad
It remains unclear how many hostages would be freed under this proposal, though earlier plans suggested the release of around 10 individuals.
Israel has not yet publicly responded to Trump’s announcement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to visit the White House on Monday for talks, following a recent meeting between senior adviser Ron Dermer and top US officials.
Trump’s warning to Hamas
On Tuesday, Trump posted on social media that Israel had “agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE,” adding: “I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE.”
Even before the last ceasefire expired in March, the US president had issued multiple ultimatums, urging Hamas to accept extended pauses in the conflict in exchange for aid and hostage releases.
Story continues below this ad
More than 56,000 people have died in the Palestinian territory, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which reports that over half of the dead are women and children. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking approximately 250 hostages. Since then, much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble. Over 90% of the territory’s 2.3 million people have been displaced, many multiple times, and the region is facing an escalating humanitarian crisis.
