Hamas officials confirmed Monday that the group has officially received US President Donald Trump’s so-called peace plan to end Israel’s war on Gaza. However, they raised serious objections to its terms, including the demand for full disarmament and international control over Gaza.
The proposal was delivered during a closed-door meeting in Doha with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, and Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, according to two senior Hamas officials who spoke to Al Manassa under the condition of anonymity.
“Officials from Qatar and Egypt tried to persuade the movement’s leadership to accept the plan,” one official told Al Manassa. Hamas’s political bureau and negotiating team have begun reviewing the document, he added.
Unveiled at the White House by Trump alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the 20-point plan proposes a conditional ceasefire, partial Israeli withdrawal, the exchange of captives, and the establishment of a so-called “Board of Peace” chaired by Trump, flanked by Tony Blair.
It also includes full disarmament of Gaza, legal immunity for Hamas leaders who renounce armed struggle, and a transitional international administration.
“In its current form, the plan is unacceptable and raises several objections,” the official said.
Another senior Hamas leader told Al Manassa the group rejects any international administration of Gaza, insisting instead on a Palestinian-led body of non-factional technocrats, in line with a previous Egyptian-backed proposal.
“Hamas is willing to relinquish control of Gaza as part of an agreement,” the official said. However, the group will not agree to disarm without clear guarantees for Palestinian sovereignty.
“There can be no discussion of disarmament without a sovereign Palestinian state,” he added.
Hamas has informed mediators of its willingness to negotiate a long-term truce tied to a political resolution that includes statehood, the source revealed.
Hamas is also prepared, the official added, to release all Israeli captives in a single batch, “if given one week to retrieve human remains from under the rubble.” This is conditional on a wider, more comprehensive deal that respects Palestinian rights and demands, the official explained to Al Manassa.
According to Trump’s outline, the plan would require Hamas to release all Israeli captives, alive and deceased, within 72 hours. In exchange, Israel would free 1,950 Palestinian detainees, including those serving life sentences and individuals detained since the start of the genocide in October 2023.
The deal also calls for the dismantling of Gaza’s military infrastructure, monitored disarmament, safe exit corridors for Hamas leaders, and sweeping reconstruction under UN supervision.
The Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas, issued a cautious but generally positive statement on President Donald Trump's 20-point plan. It affirmed support for a “modern, democratic, and non-militarised Palestinian state, committed to pluralism and the peaceful transfer of power,” including elections within a year of the war’s end and forming a new security force. The statement stressed the “importance of partnership with the United States in achieving peace in the region.” However, despite the official line, prominent Fatah figures expressed sharp criticism.
Trump claimed the plan had backing from Arab and Muslim nations and anticipated a “positive response” from Hamas. He promised Israel would neither annex nor occupy Gaza and that control would gradually transfer to an international body.
However, on the issue of Palestinian statehood, the plan only vaguely mentions the possibility of creating conditions for “self-determination”, a phrasing Hamas sees as evasive. It explicitly bars Hamas or any armed factions from participating in postwar governance.
“Painting Hamas as an obstacle while sidelining core Palestinian demands is not a serious path to peace,” said one of the officials.
“If we work together, we can bring an end to the death and destruction that we’ve seen for so many years, decades, even centuries and begin a new chapter of security, peace, and prosperity for the entire region,” Trump asserted during the press conference.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces continue to pound Gaza City with ground and aerial strikes. The ground incursion, launched in mid-September, has displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians again as we enter the Israeli genocide’s third year.
Before departing for the US for the press conference, Netanyahu doubled down on his rhetoric, vowing to showcase what he called “many opportunities” created by Israeli military victories. During his address to a thinned-out UN General Assembly, following a rare mass walk-out, Netanyahu stressed he still intends to “finish the job.”
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel’s US-backed assault on Gaza has killed around 66,000 Palestinians and wounded over 168,000 others, according to the most recent figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.
The offensive has also included the abduction of 361 medical personnel and a summary blockade of aid, which triggered a mass famine that has killed at least 440 people, including 147 children.
Israel’s exclusive control over aid distribution in designated sites where the army has repeatedly opened fire on aid-seekers has also left around 2,500 dead, and more than 18,000 injured.
