Hamas Responds to Trump’s Ceasefire Plan: Ready To Free Captives, Reach Consensus over Rule

By Staff, Agencies

The Gaza Strip-based Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has responded to a 20-point proposal forwarded by Donald Trump, which the US president says is aimed at ending the "Israeli" occupation’s ongoing war of genocide on the coastal sliver.

The movement provided its response through a statement on Friday after “extensively studying” the plan and conducting “in-depth consolations” with various Palestinian factions as well as “out of keenness to stop the aggression and the war of extermination.”

The group also said it had come up with the response “based on national responsibility and out of concern for the constants, rights, and supreme interests of our people.”

As part of the response and for the sake of enabling cessation of the warfare and realization of withdrawal of the invading "Israeli” occupation forces [IOF], Hamas said it agrees to “release all 'Israeli' captives, living and deceased.”

The group, however, asserted that the release would take place “provided that the field conditions for the exchange process are secured.”

Accordingly, the group said, it is ready to enter negotiation with mediators towards realizing the purpose.

Elsewhere in the statement, Hamas said it approves of “handing over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents [technocrats] based on Palestinian national consensus and based on Arab and Islamic support.”

Nevertheless, the group stated that the rest of the provisions mentioned in Trump’s proposal had to be agreed upon “through a comprehensive Palestinian national framework of which Hamas will be a part and to which it will contribute with full responsibility.”

It attributed the latter part of its decision to those provisions being linked to a comprehensive national position and based on relevant international laws and resolutions.

Earlier, the movement voiced skepticism about the proposal, saying its response would be a collective one reflecting input from various Palestinian factions due to the sensitivity of the issues involved.

It identified the issues as the future of the Palestinian cause, Palestinians’ rights, core principles, and political identity, stating it would give a final response after further talks with Palestinian groups.

Also on Friday, Hamas leader Musa Abu Marzouk reported that Hamas had agreed to the plan “in its main headings as a principle,” but stressed that “its implementation requires negotiation.”

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan stressed that “attempts to exclude Hamas from the Palestinian political process will not succeed,” and affirmed the group would not accept foreign administration of the coastal strip.
The remarks came after reports on the contents of the proposal said it had assigned supervision of “a temporary technocratic committee” tasked with governing Gaza with a “Board of Peace.”

According to the plan, the board is to be led by Trump himself, along with former British prime minister Tony Blair and “other members and heads of state.”

Upon emergence of the reports, Hamas clarified that the people of Palestine could manage their own affairs.

Hamdan also emphasized a national agreement for Gaza to be governed by a Palestinian body and rejected the entry of foreign forces, calling it “unacceptable.”

On Monday, Trump announced a plan for a Gaza ceasefire, captive swap, and phased "Israeli" withdrawal, even as the US backs "Israel’s" war with record arms support and repeated UN vetoes, amid a death toll nearing 66,300 Palestinians.

Trump later asked on X, former Twitter, for "Israel" to “immediately” halt bombing Gaza.
Resistance outlets, however, reported that Hamas’ response was followed by “hysterical” bombing of northern Gaza by "Israeli" warplanes.