An Egyptian woman watches the news on a local channel in Cairo, showing images of top negotiator for the Palestinian Hamas movement Khalil al-Hayya (C) arriving in Sharm El-Sheikh for talks on ending Israel's genocidal war on Gaza over a US-proposed plan. AFP
In a statement issued on Thursday, The Palestinian resistance group said the deal includes an end to the war on Gaza, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Strip, the entry of humanitarian aid, and a prisoner exchange.
Hamas urged President Trump, along with the guarantor states and Arab, Islamic, and international actors, to prevent Israel from “evading or delaying” its obligations under the agreement.
Earlier, US President Trump declared in a post on Truth Social that both Hamas and Israel had signed off on the first phase of his 20-point plan” aimed at achieving a “strong, durable, and everlasting peace.”
The Trump announcement came amid diplomatic efforts intensified in recent days to reach a comprehensive deal to end the war.
Top officials from Egypt, the United States, Qatar and Turkey have been mediating indirect talks between Israel and Hamas since Monday to reach an agreement to end the war.
On Friday, Hamas stated its agreement to release all remaining Israeli captives, alive and dead, in response to President Trump's 20-point plan to end the war.
In its statement on Thursday, Hamas described the talks in Sharm El-Sheikh “responsible and serious,” aimed at stopping what it called “the genocidal war against our Palestinian people.”
It also expressed deep appreciation for the mediation efforts of Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, as well as for Trump’s initiative, which it said sought to achieve “a final and complete end to the war and the occupation’s full withdrawal from Gaza.”
In its statement, Hamas also saluted the Palestinian people in Gaza, Jerusalem, the West Bank, and across the homeland and the diaspora, commending their “dignity, heroism and honor in confronting the occupation’s fascist projects that targeted their national rights.
“These sacrifices and heroic positions have thwarted the Israeli occupation’s attempts at subjugation and displacement,” the statement read.
Hamas reaffirmed that “the sacrifices of our people will not be in vain,” vowing to remain true to its convenant and never abandon "our national rights until freedom, independence, and self-determination are achieved.”
The Trump announcement on Thursday of a deal between Hamas and Israel comes amid growing international condemnation of the Israeli genocidal war and starvation policies against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has killed over 67,000 Palestinians dead, and wounded nearly 168,000 others, mostly women and children, since 7 October 2023.
Two years of Israeli carpet bombing destroyed most homes and infrastructure and displaced most of the 2.3 million population.
In tandem, an Israeli blockade on the entry of food, water, and medicince has plunged the population into famine, the first-ever in the Middle East.
In March, Israel unilaterally ended a ceasefire with Hamas, brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the US in January, to resume its genocidal war on the strip.
Palestinian prisoners
Later, in a separate statement, the resistance movement said it has submitted the lists of Palestinian prisoners to be released “under the criteria agreed upon in the plan."
Hamas said it is awaiting final agreement on the names before making them public through the Prisoners’ Media Office, once all related procedures and understandings are completed.
“The Islamic Resistance Movement renews its pledge to our brave prisoners and their families that they will remain at the heart of our priorities,” added Zaher Jabarin, head of the Martyrs and Prisoners Office in Hamas.
"Hamas will not rest until the last Palestinian prisoner enjoys freedom,"added Jabarin.
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