Hamas divided over US proposal as military wing rejects ceasefire terms

A Hamas official has said the Palestinian group will respond “soon” to United States President Donald Trump’s proposal to end Israel’s nearly two-year war on Gaza.

Bureau member Mohammed Nazzal told Al Jazeera Arabic on Thursday that the group was discussing Trump’s plan with the goal of stopping Israel’s war on Gaza and would soon announce its position on the proposal, reports Al Jazeera.

Nazzal said Hamas, as representatives of the Palestinian resistance, has a right to express its views “in a way that serves the interests” of the Palestinian people.

“We are not dealing [with the plan] under the logic that time is a sword pointed at our neck,” Nazzal said.

Meanwhile, according to BBC, mediators in Qatar and Egypt have established contact with the head of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza, who has indicated opposition to the new US ceasefire proposal.

Izz al-Din al-Haddad is said to believe the plan was drafted to dismantle Hamas regardless of its response and is therefore resolved to continue fighting.

The 20-point framework put forward by President Trump – already accepted by Israel – calls for Hamas to disarm and excludes the group from any future role in governing Gaza.

While some members of Hamas’s political leadership in Qatar are reportedly open to considering the proposal with adjustments, their influence remains limited as they have no control over the hostages.

Hamas is believed to be holding 48 hostages in Gaza, with only around 20 thought to be alive. A major obstacle for the group is that the US plan demands all hostages be handed over within the first 72 hours of the ceasefire – effectively giving away their only leverage.

Despite Trump’s assurances that Israel would honour the terms, there is deep mistrust within Hamas, especially after Israel attempted to assassinate the group’s leadership in Doha last month, in defiance of Washington.

Earlier this week, the White House unveiled a 20-point document that called for an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of captives held by Hamas for Palestinian political prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas disarmament and a transitional government led by an international body.

On Tuesday, Trump gave Hamas three to four days to agree to the plan.

Palestinians long for the war to end, but many believe the plan heavily favours Israel.

Egypt working to convince Hamas

Earlier on Thursday, Egypt’s foreign minister said his country was working with Qatar and Turkiye to convince Hamas to accept Trump’s proposal.

Speaking at the French Institute of International Relations in Paris on Thursday, Badr Abdelatty said it was clear that Hamas had to disarm and that Israel should not be given an excuse to carry on with its assault on Gaza.

“Let’s not give any excuse for one party to use Hamas as a pretext for this mad daily killings of civilians. What’s happening is far beyond the seventh of October,” he said, referring to the Palestinian group’s 2023 attack on Israel, in which 1,129 people were killed, according to Israeli tallies.

The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israel’s offensive on Gaza has killed more than 66,000 people, mostly women and children, but experts believe the actual death toll could be up to three times higher.

“It is beyond revenge. This is ethnic cleansing and genocide in motion. So enough is enough,” Abdelatty said.

Many ‘holes that need to be filled’

Qatar and Egypt, two key mediators, said Trump’s plan requires more negotiations on certain elements.

Abdelatty said Cairo was coordinating with Qatar and Turkiye to convince Hamas to respond positively to the plan, but he remained very cautious.

“If Hamas refuse, you know, then it would be very difficult. And of course, we will have more escalation. So that is why we are exerting our intensive efforts to make this plan applicable and to get the approval of Hamas,” he said.

Abdelatty said while he was broadly supportive of Trump’s proposal for Gaza, more talks were needed on it.

“There are a lot of holes that need to be filled; we need more discussions on how to implement it, especially on two important issues – governance and security arrangements,” he said. “We are supportive of the Trump plan and the vision to end war and need to move forward.”

When asked whether he feared the Trump plan could lead to the forced displacement of Palestinians, he said Egypt would not accept that.

“Displacement will not happen, it will not happen because displacement means the end of the Palestinian cause,” he said. “We will not allow this to happen under any circumstances.”

“It’s a red line that the president of the United States is going to have to draw, and I’m confident that he will,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an interview with Fox News.

For her part, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, called on Hamas to accept the proposal.

“We urge Hamas to follow the plan, release all remaining hostages and lay down its arms. The EU calls on those who have influence to bear to pass these messages to Hamas,” a statement read.

Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin said Russia was willing to support the plan, but only if it leads to a two-state solution.

Jean-Noel Barrot, France’s foreign minister, said Hamas “has lost”.

According to the plan, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to relinquish their weapons will be given amnesty, while those who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.

Experts say the move echoes past Western attempts to reshape the Middle East without local input.

“With this agreement, it’s clear that what they’re presenting is a formula that they tried to use before in Iraq, and I think they utterly failed,” political analyst Xavier Abu Eid told Al Jazeera.

Abu Eid noted that the involvement of figures such as Tony Blair, who joined the US war in Iraq while serving as British prime minister in 2003, in Trump’s proposal is concerning for many in the region.

“The fact that they’re trying to bring in a group of foreigners led by someone with a very dark history in our region, like Tony Blair, is not something that would make people very enthusiastic,” he said.

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