Hamas said it has agreed in principle to release Israeli hostages under a United States-brokered peace proposal but demanded further negotiations on key political issues concerning the future of Gaza and Palestinian rights.
In a statement on Friday, the group said it had accepted “to release all Israeli prisoners, both living and dead, according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump’s proposal,” provided that “field conditions for the exchanges” were met.
The announcement came just hours after US President Donald Trump gave Hamas until 18:00 Washington time (22:00 GMT) on Sunday to accept the plan or face “all hell.”
Posting on Truth Social, Trump warned, “If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.”
The proposal, unveiled Monday at the White House by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called for an immediate end to fighting, the release within 72 hours of 20 Israeli hostages believed to be alive and the return of the remains of others thought dead, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.
Hamas also said it “renews its agreement to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats), based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support.” But the group added that other provisions on Gaza’s future governance and Palestinian rights were still being discussed “within a national framework.”
At the White House, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt underscored the administration’s warning.
“I think that the entire world should hear the president of the United States loud and clear,” she said. “Hamas has an opportunity to accept this plan and move forward in a peaceful and prosperous manner in the region. If they don’t, the consequences, unfortunately, are going to be very tragic.”
The 20-point plan envisions Gaza being temporarily governed by a technocratic Palestinian committee under the supervision of a new international transitional body, the “Board of Peace,” to be headed by Trump. It also rules out any future role for Hamas in governing Gaza and leaves open the possibility of an eventual Palestinian state.
However, Netanyahu, while standing beside Trump during the announcement, later reaffirmed his opposition to Palestinian statehood.
“It’s not written in the agreement,” he said in a video message. “We said we would strongly oppose a Palestinian state.”
International reaction has been mixed. The Palestinian Authority welcomed Trump’s “sincere and determined” efforts, while Pakistan, which initially voiced support, later said the points unveiled were inconsistent with proposals made by Muslim-majority countries.
The diplomatic push comes amid intense Israeli military operations in Gaza City, where Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has declared Israeli forces were “tightening the siege.” The offensive, Israel said, was aimed at freeing the remaining hostages—believed to number 48, of whom only 20 were thought to be alive.
The human toll continues to mount. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said at least 66,288 people have been killed since the conflict erupted on October 7, 2023, after Hamas’s assault on southern Israel killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. In the past 24 hours alone, 63 more were reported dead.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Gaza City residents have fled under evacuation orders to the southern al-Mawasi area, designated by Israel as a “humanitarian zone.” Yet many remain trapped.
James Elder, spokesman for UNICEF, dismissed the idea of a safe zone as “farcical.”
“Bombs are dropped from the sky with chilling predictability,” he said. “Schools, which have been designated as temporary shelters, are regularly reduced to rubble.”
Trump has insisted that if Hamas refuses the deal, Israel will have full US backing to “finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas.” Netanyahu has echoed that warning, pledging that Israel “will finish the job” if the group rejects or fails to implement the plan.
