The Hamas terror group has announced that it delivered a “positive” response to a U.S.-brokered cease-fire proposal for Gaza, fueling hopes for progress toward ending its deadly conflict with Israel.
“The Hamas movement has completed its internal consultations as well as discussions with Palestinian factions and forces regarding the latest proposal by the mediators to halt the aggression against our people in Gaza,” the group said in a statement.
“The movement has delivered its response to the brotherly mediators, which was characterized by a positive spirit. Hamas is fully prepared, with all seriousness, to immediately enter a new round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework.”
However, a Palestinian official from a group allied with Hamas told Reuters that significant obstacles remain, including concerns over the flow of humanitarian aid, access through the Rafah crossing into Egypt, and a clear timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals.
“The Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring Peace, will deliver this final proposal. I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better—IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is scheduled to meet Trump in Washington on July 7, has yet to publicly comment on Trump’s announcement. The Israeli leader has repeatedly demanded the disarmament of Hamas—an issue the terrorist group, believed to be holding 20 living hostages, has so far refused to address.
An Egyptian security official told Reuters that Egypt, which is mediating the cease-fire talks together with Qatar, had reviewed Hamas’s response and saw encouraging indications that a deal could be close, though some of Hamas’s demands still required further discussion.
Trump has said he intends to be “very firm” with Netanyahu on securing a rapid cease-fire in Gaza, while noting that the Israeli prime minister also wants to see the fighting end.
The war in Gaza erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists launched a land, sea, and air attack on southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking hostage around 250 more. Israeli officials say about 50 hostages are still in captivity, including 49 taken during the Oct. 7 attack and one, Hadar Goldin, who is believed to be deceased and whose body has been held since 2014.
Israel’s military response against Hamas has inflicted widespread destruction across Gaza. Although Hamas has ruled the territory for nearly 20 years, it now maintains control over only parts of the enclave, as the fighting has displaced the majority of Gaza’s more than 2 million inhabitants.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry reports that more than 56,000 Palestinians have died during the conflict, though the numbers do not separate fighters from civilians, making independent verification impossible.
