United States President Donald Trump has issued Hamas a stark ultimatum: accept a US-brokered peace deal for Gaza by Sunday evening or face what he described as “all hell.”
In a fiery post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump declared, “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 deadline of 18:00 Washington time (22:00 GMT) on Sunday follows Trump’s earlier warning on Tuesday that Hamas had “three to four days” to respond to the plan.
The 20-point plan, unveiled Monday at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for: an immediate end to fighting, the release within 72 hours of 20 living Israeli hostages believed to be held by Hamas, as well as the remains of others thought dead and the release of hundreds of detained Palestinians in exchange.
Others include the humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza once both sides agree and a temporary Gaza administration led by a “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee” overseen by an international body called the Board of Peace — headed by Trump himself.
The agreement also states that Hamas will have no role in Gaza’s governance and leaves open the possibility of a future Palestinian state.
However, divisions inside Hamas threaten the plan’s prospects. Mediators have reportedly contacted the head of the group’s military wing in Gaza, who has rejected the proposal. While some of Hamas’s political leaders in Qatar are said to be open to the deal with adjustments, their influence is limited as they do not control the hostages.
Another sticking point is the requirement for Hamas to release all hostages within the first 72 hours of a ceasefire — a move many in the group view as giving away their only bargaining chip.
According to US intelligence assessments, 48 hostages remain in Gaza, but only about 20 are believed to be alive.
While the plan hints at a path toward Palestinian statehood, Netanyahu quickly walked back that interpretation, reiterating his longstanding opposition.
“It’s not written in the agreement. We said we would strongly oppose a Palestinian state,” he said in a video statement.
Arab and Turkish mediators are pressing Hamas to accept the proposal, while a coalition of foreign ministers from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan issued a joint statement expressing readiness to work with Washington to finalize and implement the plan.
They emphasized that the deal should pave the way for a “two-state solution, under which Gaza is fully integrated with the West Bank in a Palestinian state.”
The Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs parts of the occupied West Bank, praised Trump’s efforts, calling them “sincere and determined.”
Trump has warned that rejection will bring devastating consequences, “Israel would have US backing to finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas,” he said.
Netanyahu echoed this resolve, insisting Israel “will finish the job” if Hamas fails to comply.
The ultimatum comes nearly two years into Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage.
Since then, at least 66,288 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
