The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas issued a statement late Friday, October 3, responding to a proposal brought forward by US President Donald Trump on Monday, September 29, to end Israel’s two-year genocidal aggression on Gaza. “The priority is to stop the war and massacres, and from this perspective, we responded positively to the Trump plan,” Hamas leader Musa Abu Marzouk told Al-Jazeera.
Trump was quick to respond on his social media platform Truth Social, writing that “Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE.” Trump demanded that Israel stop bombing Gaza to enable the return of hostages.
Trump’s 20-point Gaza ceasefire proposal
While Hamas agreed to release all Israeli captives held in Gaza, including those who died, it said the details of certain points of the deal need further discussions.
Prisoners-for-captives swap deal
Trump’s proposal consists of 20 points, mainly focusing on ending the fighting from the Israeli side as well as Hamas’s side, in order to guarantee the safe return of all Israeli captives – both alive and deceased – from Gaza.
In return, 250 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment, alongside 1,700 Palestinians arrested from Gaza after October 7, 2023, including women and children, would be freed from the Israeli occupation’s prisons. The dead body of each Israeli captive would be exchanged with 15 dead bodies of Palestinians from Gaza held by Israel.
Minimum aid entry and rehabilitation plan
The entry of a minimum quantity of humanitarian aid and the opening of the Rafah crossing in both directions in accordance with the agreement made on January 19, 2025, is included in the points proposed by the US president. This would be done through a mechanism which guarantees non-interference by neither Israel or Hamas and would be under the supervision of international humanitarian institutions, including United Nations agencies.
The rehabilitation of the completely devastated infrastructure in Gaza has been listed in the proposal too.
Hamas can either stay in Gaza disarmed or leave through a “safe passage”
Although Netanyahu’s government has always insisted that Hamas should totally leave the besieged enclave, the proposal indicates that some Hamas members may be given the option of staying if they agree to “decommission their weapons”. Meanwhile, other Hamas members would be provided a “safe passage” if they wish to leave Gaza to other host countries.
For decades, the Palestinian resistance group has proven its ability to lead its political bureau and military wing and even to mobilize Palestinian and pro-Palestinian grasroots from abroad.
For many, whether Hamas stays in Gaza or departs would not change the equation, and does not mean that Hamas has been defeated by Israel, because it has been entrenched in the mentality of its supporters as an anti-colonial ideology, rather than being merely an armed group.
An independent Palestinian (technocrat) government in the making
Regarding the government that may rule post-war Gaza, Trump suggested the formation of a political Palestinian committee of technocrats to govern the war-torn strip and run daily affairs related to public services and municipalities.
Trump and Blair: from warmongers to peace godfathers
Yet, Trump placed the suggested Palestinian technocratic government under “the oversight and supervision of a new international transitional body” led by him personally and other international members and heads of state, most significantly former British prime minister Tony Blair, as a condition for the “Gaza peace” plan.
This specific condition provoked controversy among analysts and drew derision around the promotion of two “warmongers” as godfathers of the declared international transnational body, which Trump calls the “Board of Peace”.
On the one hand, Trump’s second term has been marked by his administrations’ intensified endeavors to wage wars and contribute to others over the globe, not only in West Asia, but also in the Caribbean, and East Europe.
On the other hand, Blair’s complicity in the invasion and war on Iraq in 2003, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians is indelible in the collective memory of Arab people and people of conscience around the world.
The ISF is to substitute the IOF
Trump presented another controversial point in his proposal, which touches on the immediate deployment of a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) across the Gaza strip after the withdrawal of the Israeli Occupation Forces.
The so-called ISF will be formed of vetted Palestinian officers in Gaza and will be trained by international and Arab partners. Jordan and Egypt will provide consultancy to the new forces given their experiences in the field. Even still, the jurisdiction of these forces will only be confined within the besieged enclave as securing the border areas will be jointly coordinated between Egypt, the ISF, and Israel.
No Palestinian statehood without the demilitarization of all Palestinian factions, including Hamas
The rest of the proposal stipulates a complete demilitarization of all Palestinian factions operating in Gaza, and a reform program which the Palestinian Authority seems to be obliged to complete within a specific timeline, before the recognition of a Palestinian state becomes a reality.
Trump’s real estate fantasies in post-war Gaza
Other points mentioned in the proposal reflected Donald Trump’s fascination with real estate projects, which would most likely be funded by his allies in the Arab Gulf as part of the intended Gaza reconstruction plan.
Trump promises no forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and no annexation of the enclave
The proposal confirmed that the Palestinian citizens will not be forced to leave Gaza, and that even those who wish to leave would be able to return. Furthermore, Trump pointed out in his proposal that Israel “will not occupy or annex Gaza”.
Most important points in Hamas’s response to the proposal
Hamas asserted in its statement that its response has been formulated after thorough consultations in order to reach a “responsible position” to deal with Trump’s plan.
The movement announced its agreement to release all Israeli captives, both alive and deceased, as per Trump’s proposal, “provided that ending the war and a complete withdrawal” of the IOF from the Gaza strip are achieved.
The resistance group contended that the release of Israeli captives will take place once the “necessary field conditions” are implemented.
Hamas also expressed its willingness to “immediately enter negotiations through mediators to discuss all the details” of the proposal.
It also reaffirmed its acceptance “to hand the administration of Gaza to a Palestinian body represented by independents (technocrats) based on Palestinian national consensus and with Arab and Islamic support”.
Nonetheless, Hamas voiced reservations about what was outlined in Trump’s proposal regarding “the future of the Gaza Strip and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people”, which the movement believes “should be discussed within a consensual Palestinian national framework”.
It also noted that such Palestinian national issues, like discussing the future of Gaza, must be based on international laws and international resolutions, with Hamas being part of the discussions, asserting that it will also be contributing to Gaza’s future with full responsibility.
Trump had previously threatened that “all hell” would break loose against Hamas if the Palestinian resistance group did not accept the deal by Sunday, October 5.
Palestinian diaspora organization the Palestinian Youth Movement denounced the plan, writing that it is an “ultimatum between two unacceptable choices,” which are “continued genocide with refound legitimacy,” or “privatization and control over Palestinians by a wealthy elite who deprive them of all substantive rights.”
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