Hamas open to truce but stops short of accepting Trump-backed proposal
By Fatma Khaled, Samy Magdy and Bassem Mroue, Associated Press
CAIRO (AP)-Hamas suggested on Wednesday that it was open to a cease-fire agreement with Israel, but stopped accepting a proposal supported by the United States announced by President Donald Trump a few hours earlier, insisting on his longtime position that any agreement ends the war in Gaza.
Trump said on Tuesday that Israel agreed on the conditions of a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the agreement before the conditions are worsening. The American chief increased pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to negotiate a cease-fire and a hostage agreement and put an end to the war.
Trump said that the 60 -day period would be used to work to end the war – something that Israel says he will not accept before Hamas is defeated. He said that an agreement could come together next week.
But Hamas’ response, which highlighted its end of the war request, raised questions about the question of whether the last offer could materialize in a real break in the fighting.
The head of Hamas, Taher al-Nununu, said that the militant group was “ready and serious with regard to an agreement”.
He said that Hamas was “ready to accept any initiative that clearly leads to the full end of the war”.
A delegation from Hamas is expected to meet the Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the proposal, according to an Egyptian official. The manager spoke under the cover of anonymity, as he was not allowed to discuss talks with the media.
Israel and Hamas do not agree on how war should end
Throughout the war of almost 21 months, cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas have defeated several times if the war should end within the framework of any agreement.
Hamas said it was ready to release the 50 remaining hostages, less than half of which would be alive, in exchange for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end of war.
Israel says he will not accept to end war only if Hamas goes, disarms and exiled himself, which the group refuses to do.
An Israeli official said that the last proposal provides for a 60 -day agreement which would include a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a wave of humanitarian aid to the territory. Mediators and the United States would provide insurance on talks to end the war, but Israel is not committed to this as part of the last proposal, the official said.
The manager was not authorized to discuss the details of the agreement proposed with the media and spoke under the cover of anonymity.
It was not clear how many hostages would be released as part of the agreement, but the previous proposals called for the release of around 10.
Israel has not yet publicly commented on Trump’s announcement. Trump on Monday is expected to welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, a few days after Ron Dermer, a senior Netanyahu advisor, had discussions with senior American officials on Gaza, Iran and other questions.
Trump issues another warning
Tuesday, Trump wrote on social networks that Israel had “accepted the conditions necessary to finalize the 60-day ceasefire, during which we will work with all parties to end the war”.
“I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas concludes this affair, because it will not improve-it will only get worse,” he said.
Trump’s warning could find a skeptical audience with Hamas. Even before the expiration of the ceasefire for war in March, Trump repeatedly published dramatic ultimatums to put pressure on Hamas to pay longer breaks in the fights that would see the release of more hostages and a return of more aid for Gaza civilians.
However, Trump considers the current moment as a potential turning point in the brutal conflict which left more than 56,000 dead on Palestinian territory. The Gaza Ministry of Health does not make the difference between civilians and combatants in its number of deaths, but says that more than half of the dead are women and children.
Since dawn on Wednesday, Israeli strikes have killed a total of 40 people in the Gaza Strip, the Ministry of Health said. Hospital officials said four children and seven women were one of the dead.
The Israeli army, which blames Hamas for civilian victims because it operates in populated areas, examined reports.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when terrorists led by Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages.
The war left the Palestinian coastal territory in ruins, a large part of the flattened urban landscape in the fighting. More than 90% of the population of 2.3 million Gaza was moved, often several times. And the war sparked a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, pushing hundreds of thousands of people to hunger.
Mourouou has reported to Beirut. The writer Associated Press Josef Federman of Jerusalem contributed to this report.
