US President Donald Trump gave Hamas an ultimatum of “three or four days” on Tuesday to respond to his plan for Gaza, as the militant group reviewed the proposal backed by Israel.
The plan calls for a ceasefire, release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, disarmament of Hamas and gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, followed by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself.
World powers, including Arab and Muslim nations, welcomed the proposal, but Hamas had yet to issue its response.
“We’re just waiting for Hamas, and Hamas is either going to be doing it or not. And if it’s not, it’s going to be a very sad end.”
Trump announced the deal at the White House on Monday after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On Tuesday, a Palestinian source said on condition of anonymity that Hamas had begun consultations on the plan “within its political and military leaderships, both inside Palestine and abroad”.
“The discussions could take several days due to the complexities,” the source said.
Qatar, which hosts Hamas’s exiled leadership, said the group had promised to study the proposal “responsibly”, and also said it would hold a meeting with Hamas and Turkey later on Tuesday.
“It is still too early to speak about responses, but we are truly optimistic that this plan, as we said, is a comprehensive one,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said.
It would also see a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, after nearly two years of war sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
But in a video statement posted after the joint press conference with Trump, Netanyahu said the military would stay in most of Gaza, and also that he did not agree to a Palestinian state during his talks in Washington.
“We will recover all our hostages, alive and well, while the (Israeli military) will remain in most of the Gaza Strip,” he said.
Still, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a member of Netanyahu’s coalition government, blasted the plan as a “resounding diplomatic failure”.
“In my estimation, it will also end in tears. Our children will be forced to fight in Gaza again,” he said.
