Hamas opens up to Trump's peace plan: yes to the release of hostages
The US president had given time until Sunday evening to the terrorist group, which showed willingness but demanded clarification and a Palestinian government for Gaza
"They have until 6pm on Sunday. The agreement must be definitively accepted by Hamas by Sunday evening'. This is the ultimatum (not the first but certainly the most pressing) that Donald Trump issued yesterday to the Palestinian terrorist group to end the war in Gaza by accepting the plan proposed by the United States. Two more days to choose, by the deadline set for tomorrow evening in Washington, when it will be midnight in Italy.
But Hamas' response came within hours through Arab mediators. Hamas accepted the release of all Israeli hostages, dead or alive, as part of the US President's proposal for Gaza, and said it was ready to start mediation negotiations on the details immediately.
"Every other country has agreed to our plan," Trump had said and then went on to threaten to intervene by force or let the Israeli military complete the job: the destruction of the Strip and the annihilation of any Palestinian presence in the area, with bombings that in two years have killed over 66,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians. "If he does not take even this last chance to reach an agreement, all hell, like never before, will break loose against Hamas," Trump had said.
In response to the 7 October 2023 attack (in which Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 Israelis and took some 250 hostages) 'over 25,000 Hamas soldiers have already been killed. The survivors are surrounded and militarily trapped, and they are waiting - the US president had explained - only for my go-ahead for their lives to be quickly wiped out, without an agreement they will be hunted down and killed'. Instead - he promised - if the Israeli hostages still alive are released and the bodies of the dead hostages are handed over, then 'the agreement will spare the lives of all remaining Hamas fighters'.
Compared to last Tuesday's announcements, yesterday's ultimatum gave Hamas a few more hours, decided at the White House after a phone call from the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Hamas had stalled. "We don't have an answer yet, Hamas is continuing its consultations and has informed the mediators that the ongoing consultations need time," an official of the Islamist armed group had said, referring to "talks with Arab mediators, Turkey and Palestinian factions to define the response".
