Hamas has announced its decision to release all Israeli hostages, whether they are alive or deceased, and has expressed openness to mediated negotiations concerning President Donald Trump’s Middle Eastern peace initiative.
The organization stated its “readiness to immediately engage in talks through mediators to discuss the particulars of this agreement,” in a release issued on Friday.
“The group reiterates its willingness to transfer the management of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian independent body, comprising technocrats, grounded in Palestinian national consensus with backing from Arab and Islamic entities,” Hamas stated.
Hamas was responding to a 20-point peace plan Trump outlined on Monday at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
President Trump indicated that if the militant organization does not comply with the plan, Israel would receive Washington’s unequivocal support to “eliminate the Hamas threat completely.”
On Friday, Trump declared he is providing Hamas until 6 p.m. Sunday to agree to the ceasefire proposal put forth by his administration to cease the conflict in Gaza.
“If this ULTIMATE OPPORTUNITY agreement is not secured, unparalleled chaos, unlike anything ever seen, will be unleashed against Hamas,” Trump detailed in an extensive post on Truth Social.
Hamas on Friday also said it wanted to further discuss other elements of the peace plan.
“The other issues mentioned in President Trump’s proposal regarding the future of the Gaza Strip and the inherent rights of the Palestinian people are linked to a comprehensive national position and based on relevant international laws and resolutions,” the group said. “They are to be discussed within a comprehensive Palestinian national framework. Hamas will be part of it and will contribute to it with full responsibility.”
Under the plan, Israel’s assault in Gaza would end immediately once both sides agree to the proposal, with all hostages, alive and dead, to be released within 72 hours. The plan says no one will be forced to leave Gaza and those who do can return.
A pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood is outlined as a possible outcome, but not a guarantee.
Hamas’ response comes as the Israeli military pressed ahead with a ground operation in famine-stricken Gaza City, despite mounting international pressure and isolation over its assault on the devastated Palestinian enclave.
Trump’s peace plan was met with cautious optimism earlier in the week by leaders elsewhere in the Middle East and around the world.
The Palestinian Authority, which partly controls the occupied West Bank, praised Trump for his “sincere and tireless efforts” to “end the war on Gaza” and reiterated its commitment to making reforms that could pave the way for a future Palestinian state.
Muslim powers including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey welcomed the plan in a joint statement calling Trump’s efforts “sincere.”
The proposal also received support from Europe, with countries that had recently defied Washington by formally recognizing Palestinian statehood welcoming the initiative.
But hours after Trump announced the plan, Netanyahu reiterated his past vows to oppose Palestinian statehood.
“Instead of Hamas isolating us, we turned the tables and isolated Hamas,” he said in Hebrew in a video discussing his U.S. trip.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
