US President Donald Trump Sets Weekend Time Limit for the Militant Group to Endorse Gaza Agreement

Gaza Conflict
The comprehensive ceasefire proposal is the most recent bid to resolve the fighting in the Gaza Strip.

The US leader Donald Trump has set a deadline to Hamas, calling for them to approve a American peace plan for the Gaza region otherwise face severe actions.

Through a message on his Truth Social account on the end of the week, Trump stated that an understanding must be finalized by 6 PM EST (10 PM GMT) on Sunday.

The suggested plan includes an immediate cessation to conflict and the return within a short period of 20 surviving Israel captives kept by Hamas—as well as the remains of individuals believed to be deceased—for many of imprisoned Palestinians.

International intermediaries are reported to be pressing Hamas for a favorable response to the offer, but a high-ranking Hamas representative has indicated that the armed group is likely to refuse it.

"Should this LAST CHANCE deal is not secured, all HELL, as no one has before witnessed, will occur against the group. WE WILL ENSURE STABILITY IN THE AREA ONE WAY OR THE OTHER," Trump wrote in the social media update.

Negotiators have been in touch with the chief of Hamas's armed faction in Gaza, who has signaled that he does not agree to the recent US truce proposal, based on sources.

Sources indicate that some of Hamas's political leadership in Qatar are open to endorsing the agreement with adjustments—however have found their authority constrained as they lack authority over the detainees kept by the group.

Another hurdle for certain in the group is that the agreement requires them to hand over the entirety of the hostages over the first 72 hours of the truce—surrendering their sole leverage point.

Reports suggest to be forty-eight hostages presently being kept in the Gazan territory by the armed faction, just 20 of whom are thought to be surviving.

Israel's military launched a campaign in the Gaza Strip in response to the group's attack on the region on 7 October 2023, in which roughly twelve hundred civilians were slain and 251 additional individuals were taken hostage.

At least sixty-six thousand two hundred eighty-eight residents have been lost their lives in Israeli attacks in the territory from that point, as reported by the territory's Hamas-controlled health authority.

Andrea Ashley
Andrea Ashley

A seasoned business strategist and tech enthusiast with over a decade of experience in driving organizational success.