CAIRO (Reuters) -Hamas said on Friday it would agree to some of the terms in U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war, including releasing hostages, but avoided addressing more vexing issues like disarmament and said it would seek further negotiations.
In a copy of a statement seen by Reuters, Hamas issued its response to Trump’s 20-point plan after the president gave the Palestinian militant group until Sunday to accept or reject the proposal.
It was unclear if the U.S. or Israel would be willing to engage in further negotiations on the plan’s terms.
Hamas did not say if it would agree to disarm and demilitarize Gaza — something Israel and the U.S. want but Hamas has rejected before. It also did not agree to an Israeli withdrawal in stages, as opposed to the immediate, full withdrawal Hamas demands.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier on Friday it had urged Hamas to accept the proposal or face grave consequences. There was also no immediate comment from Israel, which backs the proposal.
A senior Hamas official told Al Jazeera that the group would not disarm before Israel’s occupation of the enclave ends, comments that underscored the gap between the parties as the war approaches its two-year mark.
HAMAS SEEKS FURTHER NEGOTIATIONS
In its response to Trump’s plan, Hamas said it “appreciates the Arab, Islamic, and international efforts, as well as the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump, calling for an end to the war on the Gaza Strip, the exchange of prisoners, (and) the immediate entry of aid,” among other terms.
It said it was announcing its “approval of releasing all occupation prisoners — both living and remains — according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump’s proposal, with the necessary field conditions for implementing the exchange.”
But Hamas added: “In this context, the movement affirms its readiness to immediately enter, through the mediators, into negotiations to discuss the details.”
The group 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 supported by Arab and Islamic backing.”
Hamas has previously offered to release all hostages and to hand over administration of the Gaza Strip to a different body.
Trump’s plan specifies an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of all hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and the introduction of a transitional government led by an international body.
TRUMP EARLIER WARNED OF ‘ALL HELL’
Earlier on Friday, Trump warned that “all HELL” would break out in Gaza if Hamas fails to sign up to his proposal for the enclave.
“An agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Trump added: “Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.”
After presenting his plan to Arab and Muslim nations last week, Trump hosted Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House where the Israeli prime minister endorsed the document, saying it satisfied Israel’s war aims.
Hamas was not involved in the negotiations that led to the proposal, which calls on the Islamist militant group to disarm, a demand it has previously rejected.
TRUMP PLAN ‘A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY,’ U.N. AID CHIEF SAYS
Israel blocked Gaza City’s main road on Thursday and has told its million residents to flee south, warning it was their last chance to escape a major offensive. The United Nations has repeatedly said that nowhere in Gaza is safe.
“President Trump’s Gaza initiative opens a window of opportunity. It offers both a chance for Palestinians to receive life-saving aid at the scale urgently needed, and to bring the hostages home,” U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement on Friday. “We are ready and eager to act.”
Trump’s plan calls for aid to Gaza to be distributed without interference by neutral international groups, with the U.N. promising 170,000 metric tons ready to enter.
Israel began its offensive in Gaza after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Israel says 48 hostages remain, 20 of whom are alive. Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 66,000 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities.
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi, Yomna Ehab and Ahmed Tolba in Cairo; Bhargav Acharya and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Andrew Mills in Doha and Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Writing by Michelle Nichols and Rami Ayyub; Editing by Howard Goller)
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