GAZA: Hamas is expected to reply “soon” to United States President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire proposal, but is pushing for key revisions before acceptance, sources and officials say. The plan — calling for a ceasefire, prisoner swaps, Israeli withdrawals, and Hamas disarmament — has been swiftly embraced by Israel but has divided Hamas, whose leaders face mounting pressure from Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt to compromise.
Sources close to the group told Al Jazeera the movement was consulting internally and would announce its position “soon.” Mohammed Nazzal, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, told Al Jazeera that Hamas had the right to respond in a way that served “the interests of the Palestinian people.”
Trump unveiled a 20-point proposal earlier this week, offering a ceasefire, exchange of captives, a phased Israeli withdrawal, Hamas disarmament, and the creation of an internationally led transitional government. The US president gave Hamas “three to four days” to reply.
Pressure from regional mediators
Egypt’s foreign minister confirmed on Thursday that Cairo was working with Qatar and Turkey to convince Hamas to accept the deal. Analysts said Hamas leaders face a difficult choice between rejecting the plan outright and seeking concessions to secure relief for Gaza’s war-hit population.
Mkhaimar Abusada, a political scientist from Gaza, described the group’s position as “choosing between the bad and the worst.” Hugh Lovatt of the European Council on Foreign Relations said any conditional acceptance would be used against Hamas by Israel, Washington, and possibly the Europeans.
Disarmament demand at the core
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already accepted the plan, which includes many of Israel’s key demands and was drafted without Hamas’s input. One major sticking point remains the requirement that Hamas fully disarm, a condition insiders say the group cannot accept.
“The armed struggle is such a deep principle in Hamas’s nature and identity,” said Michael Milshtein of Tel Aviv University. “They all agree on opposing disarmament.” Sources close to the group say Hamas may seek to frame prisoner releases and international oversight as political wins while resisting full disarmament.
Divisions and losses inside Hamas
Hamas leaders, split between Gaza, Doha, and Istanbul, remain under pressure to unify their response. Some figures abroad are seen as more pragmatic, while military commanders in Gaza remain opposed to compromise.
The group has suffered losses with dozens of senior commanders killed, yet guerrilla operations continue, with Hamas adapting to Israeli advances by regrouping in areas declared “cleared” by the Israeli military.
Ongoing war and humanitarian crisis
The Gaza war has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to local health officials. Nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced multiple times, with famine conditions worsening.
Despite the devastation, Hamas insists that any deal must guarantee displaced families the right to return to their homes in northern Gaza, alongside a permanent ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal. For many within its ranks, the decision will determine whether the war ends — or escalates further.
