🔗 Share this article

On Friday, Hamas announced that it had backed specific elements of Donald Trump's ultimatum to end the conflict in the Gaza region, consenting to a prisoner swap and to surrender administrative power in the Gaza strip, but stated that it wished additional discussions on other parts of the proposal.

The group remained silent on whether it would agree to lay down its arms – a crucial component of the Trump proposal – and remained vague its response to additional parts of the 20-part strategy initially suggested by Donald Trump last Monday.

The response remained uncertain how the former president would respond to a conditional response to his plan, which arrived just a short time after he set a Sunday deadline for the organization to respond. He claimed that if an deal was not reached "all hell" would ensue against the faction, whose militants he portrayed as surrounded and cornered.

Key Agreements and Stipulations

In a statement, Hamas said that it was giving its "endorsement of freeing all occupation captives – both living and deceased – according to the swap terms included in president Trump's plan, with the necessary field conditions for executing the exchange."

The communication continued to say that Hamas was prepared to turn over "governance of the Gaza Strip to a local body of non-partisan technocrats based on Palestinian national agreement and supported by Arab and Islamic backing."

Issues Needing Additional Discussion

Nonetheless, the group said that "remaining matters" in the strategy would require to be negotiated more "through a consolidated local process." The unspecified topics that Hamas will request negotiations on are likely to include the issue of its arms, the pullout of Jewish state troops from the region, and international guarantees for the enforcement of a lasting ceasefire.

Trump's plan demanded an swift end to fighting in Gaza, an swap of hostages and Palestinian prisoners within three days of the deal's approval, a phased retreat of state military from Gaza, as well as the disarmament of Hamas and a post-conflict interim administration headed by Trump.

Humanitarian and Reconstruction Terms

The deal also stipulated a increase of aid to the territory, areas of which are currently experiencing famine, and reconstruction to the largely destroyed strip.

The deal was mostly viewed as disadvantageous to Hamas and if agreed in entirety, would likely spell the organization's demise as an armed Palestinian faction while requiring few concessions from the Israeli government. International influence on the group to approve the strategy, was immense however, with the majority of regional and international powers supporting the Trump administration initiative.

Consequences of the Hostage Release

Although the organization did not right away consent to lay down weapons, its consent to hand over hostages will be seen as significant. The forty-eight individuals have been used by the faction as key leverage throughout the nearly two year conflict in its discussions with the US and Israeli officials. Giving them up will result in the group with few bargaining chips in the future.

Neither the U.S. administration nor Jewish state officials have yet replied to Hamas's appeal for changes to the Trump's demand.

War Casualties and Context

Israel's war in the Gaza Strip has claimed at least over sixty-two thousand locals and injured about 170,000, according to the local health ministry. The war was launched by Israel in reaction to Hamas-affiliated militants murdering about twelve hundred people and taking 251 captives in the Jewish state about nearly 24 months ago.