Trump: Israel awaits Hamas response to latest proposal for hostage release and ceasefire deal in Gaza

Washington: According to The Times of Israel, US President Donald Trump would give the Palestinian terror group a clear assurance of his commitment to putting an end to the war, which started in October 2023, as Israel awaits Hamas’s reaction on Friday to the most recent proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in Gaza.

The United States is reportedly exerting significant pressure on Israel to reach a ceasefire agreement before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travels to Washington for talks with Trump the following week.

According to sources, the parties have recently demonstrated flexibility on all issues but have stalled on the issue of ending the war. Israel is demanding that it be allowed to resume its offensive against Hamas, and the terror group is demanding that any agreement put an end to the fighting, which started on October 7, 2023, when it launched its onslaught in Israel.

A Hebrew translation of what Channel 12 News identified as Trump’s anticipated phrasing was offered in an effort to close the remaining gaps between Israel and Hamas about ending the war: The president will “commit that negotiations over the terms for ending the war will continue even after a temporary ceasefire, and that I will do everything in my power to help the parties reach an agreement on the terms of a permanent ceasefire.”

Trump’s message to Hamas, according to the uncited Thursday report, is that the United States will guarantee that efforts to bring the conflict to a lasting end continue if it accepts the so-called Witkoff framework, which calls for the release of 10 living hostages in two phases and 18 bodies in three phases over the course of a 60-day ceasefire.

Although Israeli sources have insisted that it does not include an Israeli commitment to not renew the fighting if the talks fail, the Times of Israel reported that the proposal includes mediators’ assurances that both sides will not resume fighting as long as war-ending negotiations are ongoing.

According to the source, Israel is hopeful that Hamas will respond formally before Netanyahu’s visit to the White House on Monday and thinks proximity discussions might start in a few days.

Early on Friday morning, Hamas said that it was in negotiations with other Palestinian organizations over the US-backed ceasefire plan and that, when the meetings were over, it would present its position to mediators.

The announcement followed unconfirmed allegations from the terror organization that the idea had received a “positive answer” from Hamas-affiliated sources.

According to a senior Israeli source quoted by Channel 13 news on Thursday night, Jerusalem anticipates that Hamas will respond to the offer by Friday night.

The senior official said that “[the deal] could take place by next week if it comes back with a positive answer.”
According to reports from Channel 12 and the Kan public television, an Israeli negotiating team would be prepared to travel quickly to Doha, Qatar, for mediated negotiations aimed at resolving the last issues if Hamas responds favorably. The Israeli army’ evacuation from Gaza during the combat pause is one of them.

On Thursday evening, Netanyahu met with a small group of ministers to discuss the conditions of a possible agreement.

Five distinct releases of both dead and surviving captives are anticipated throughout the 60-day accord. According to Channel 13, eight living hostages will be freed on the first day, followed by five corpses on the seventh day, five more on the 30th, two on the 50th, and eight more on the last day.

If this procedure were to be finished, there would still be 22 captives in Gaza, at least ten of whom are thought to be alive.

Similar parameters for the agreement have been published by a number of publications, with Israel reportedly agreeing to postpone military operations until after negotiations to end the conflict are concluded and Hamas reportedly agreeing to forego public captive release ceremonies.

During a previous ceasefire in January and February, Hamas organized celebrations for handovers, which infuriated Israel and the United States and drew criticism from the UN human rights head.

According to rumors, the hostages would be freed in exchange for Israel releasing Palestinian security inmates it is detaining and increasing the flow of humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip, the Times of Israel said.

Before Netanyahu departs for Washington, the whole security cabinet is scheduled to convene on Saturday evening to decide on the idea. According to Channel 13, the truce might begin while Netanyahu is in the US.

According to a number of sources, the government and the negotiation team were preparing for the delicate and difficult process of deciding which hostages would be freed first in the event that the agreement was carried out.

According to a senior member of the negotiating team, Channel 12 News said that political leaders were scheduled to make a decision after being given information about the detainees’ medical situations by the negotiating team. The article did note, however, that the cabinet could choose not to make a decision on its own because of the delicate nature of the issue.

In a similar vein, Kan News said that the government intended to assign the negotiating team the responsibility of recommending the sequence of hostages’ release, citing anonymous individuals with knowledge of the situation.

Israel has classified all of the remaining prisoners as “humanitarian” in lists given to mediators, the article said, quoting an Israeli source who stated that the specifics of the hostages’ release would become apparent if and when Israel and Hamas have proximity negotiations.

Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, said on Thursday that he thought the ceasefire and prisoner release plan under negotiation was “a done deal,” but that Hamas would eventually decide if it is successful.

In an interview with Channel 12, Huckabee said, “I hope they realize that it’s time for this to end… the reason it hasn’t [ended] before is because Hamas has been unwilling to let go of their grip on these hostages.”

Additionally, he maintained that “Hamas has no future in Gaza.”

50 captives who were taken from southern Israel on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists invaded the nation, are now being held by Palestinian terror organizations. The conflict was started by the assault, which also claimed 1,200 lives, most of them civilians.

The corpses of at least 28 people who the IDF has verified are among the captives. According to Israeli sources, there are serious worries for the safety of two more people, and twenty are thought to be alive.