US President Donald Trump Issues Weekend Deadline for the Militant Group to Agree to Gaza Agreement
US President Donald Trump has set a ultimatum to the Hamas organization, demanding them to approve a American ceasefire agreement for Gaza or face intense repercussions.
In a message on his social media channel on the end of the week, Trump stated that an agreement must be achieved by 18:00 Washington time (22:00 GMT) on the coming Sunday.
The outlined agreement includes an immediate end to conflict and the freeing within three days of twenty living Israel hostages captured by Hamas—along with the remains of hostages believed to be no longer alive—for hundreds of imprisoned Palestinians.
Arab and Turkish negotiators are reported to be encouraging the organization for a favorable response to the proposal, but a prominent Hamas representative has suggested that the militant faction is probable to reject it.
"If this ULTIMATE deal is not achieved, severe retaliation, as nobody has ever witnessed, will occur against the group. WE WILL ENSURE PEACE IN THE AREA BY ANY MEANS," the President wrote in the online post.
Negotiators have been in touch with the leader of Hamas's armed faction in Gaza, who has suggested that he is opposed to the latest US halt proposal, based on sources.
Sources indicate that some of the group's leadership in the Gulf state are open to agreeing to the proposal with adjustments—but have found their influence restricted as they are without authority over the hostages kept by the faction.
Another hurdle for a number of in the group is that the proposal necessitates them to release all the hostages over the opening 72 hours of the ceasefire—giving away their sole negotiating tool.
There are believed to be 48 captives still being detained in the Palestinian area by the militant faction, just twenty of whom are thought to be alive.
Israel's military began a operation in the Gaza Strip in reaction to the Hamas-led offensive on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and two hundred fifty-one others were taken hostage.
No fewer than thousands of individuals have been killed in Israel's strikes in the territory from that point, according to the region's group-administered medical office.