US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Joint Base Andres in Maryland as he departs to deliver remarks at a Salute to America Celebration at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. AFP
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump said: “We’ll know within the next 24 hours,” when asked whether Hamas had agreed to the deal. His remarks came two days after announcing that Israel had accepted a US-backed 60-day ceasefire proposal, pending Hamas’s approval.
Trump on Thursday said Gazans had “been through hell,” while sidestepping a question about whether he still intended for the US to take control of the Strip — a reference to his earlier proposal to turn Gaza into a “Mideast Riviera,” a plan that drew international condemnation.
“I want the people of Gaza to be safe,” he said.
Hamas, which has repeatedly said it would only agree to a deal that permanently ends the war, confirmed it was reviewing the proposal.
“The movement is conducting consultations with leaders of Palestinian forces and factions regarding the proposal received... from the mediators,” it said early Friday.
On Wednesday, the group signalled openness to a ceasefire but stopped short of accepting the US-backed plan, reaffirming its demand that any deal bring a permanent end to Israel’s 21-month war on Gaza.
Saudi outlet Asharq News reported that Hamas officials have shown “flexibility” on the issue of disarmament, which Israel has demanded as a condition for a permanent ceasefire.
According to the report, the group may agree — via mediators Qatar and Egypt — to halt weapons smuggling, shut down weapons manufacturing, and transfer existing arms to a location without Hamas presence.
It could also accept the temporary exile of a symbolic number of officials from Gaza, in response to Israeli demands to remove the group’s leadership from the territory.
A Palestinian source familiar with the negotiations told AFP that the proposal includes a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release half of the living Israeli captives in Gaza in exchange for Israel releasing Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
The source said the terms do not differ significantly from earlier proposals.
Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, said this week that any chance to free the captives “must not be missed.” Trump said a deal could come together as soon as next week.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians since October 2023, with women and children making up the majority of the dead, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Independent estimates indicate the actual toll is higher.
Over the past 48 hours, Israeli forces have killed more than 300 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Government Media Office, which said Israel carried out “26 bloody massacres” during that period.
Two previous ceasefires, brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, led to brief halts in Israeli attacks and the exchange of Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners.
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