Hamas says that it accepts several parts of US President Donald Trump’s plan for a ceasefire in Israel’s nearly two-year war on Gaza, but that some elements of the proposal require further negotiations.
The armed group handed over its response to Trump’s 20-point plan to halt the war on Friday, an informed source told Al Jazeera, hours after Trump gave the group until Sunday to respond to the proposal.
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Trump’s 20-point plan included demands for an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of all remaining 48 Israeli captives – 20 are believed to be alive – for Palestinian prisoners, the introduction of a transitional government led by an international body, and the disarmament of Hamas.
The group’s response, which did not address the issue of disarmament, stated that it had agreed “to release all occupation captives – both living and the remains – according to the exchange formula outlined in President Trump’s proposal, with the provision of field conditions necessary for the exchange”.
It added that it was ready to “immediately enter negotiations through mediators to discuss the details” of the exchange.
The group also said it was ready to “hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats) based on Palestinian national consensus and with Arab and Islamic support”.
That element of the statement appeared to indicate that Hamas, which would have to relinquish power under Trump’s plan, wants Gaza to be administered by Palestinians rather than Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace”, an international transitional governance body that would be overseen by Trump himself and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Signalling that further negotiations would be required, it said aspects of the proposal touching on “the future of the Gaza Strip and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people” should be decided on the basis of a “unanimous national position and relevant international laws and resolutions”.
The statement comes after Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that if an agreement was not reached by Sunday, then “all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.”
Later on Friday, Trump responded positively to the group’s statement, writing on Truth Social that he believed Hamas was “ready for a lasting PEACE” and calling on Israel to “immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly”.
“This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East,” said the President.
Window for negotiations?
Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem said that the Hamas statement opened “a window for negotiations”. “Within the coming 48 hours, there is possibility for a lot of exchange,” he said.
Hashem said the group’s apparent reservations about the proposed “Board of Peace” were because it “isolates Gaza from the whole Palestinian cause”. “They [Hamas] do not want to see Gaza isolated from the bigger picture,” he said.
The Trump plan provides no path for eventual reunification with the Israeli-occupied West Bank in a future Palestinian state.
The armed group also said it appreciated “the Arab, Islamic, and international efforts, as well as those of US President Donald Trump” to resolve the conflict.
“Hamas showed a lot of positivity here by accepting the spirit of the paper and praising President Trump’s initiative. In this way, they are showing that they are ready to extend their hand,” Hashem said.
“However, they have reservations, they have some points that they want clarification over, and the ball now is in President Trump’s court.”
After the release of the statement, senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk said outright that Hamas rejected the “Board of Peace”.
“We will never accept anyone who is not Palestinian to control the Palestinians,” he said, adding that Blair would be particularly unwelcome because of his role in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.
Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Rosalind Jordan said Hamas appeared “to be willing to accept some, if not most of the proposals”.
She said that further talks were to be expected and that “everything needs to be hammered out so that both, or all parties, agree to all the points”.
Mediator Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it welcomed the group’s response to Trump’s plan. Spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said Qatar had begun working with fellow mediator Egypt and the United States to continue talks on the proposal.
Egypt said that it hoped for a “positive development” and that it would work with Arab states, the US and European countries to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was encouraged by the Hamas statement and urged parties to “seize the opportunity to bring the tragic conflict in Gaza to an end”, according to spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
The group’s response to the 20-point plan came as Israel continued its offensive on Gaza, with reports it was using remote-controlled vehicles packed with explosives to demolish entire neighbourhoods in besieged Gaza City after issuing a “last chance” demand that hundreds of thousands of trapped Palestinians leave the urban centre.
More than 66,200 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza since October 2023, according to Palestinian health authorities.