Trump Issues Weekend Ultimatum for Hamas to Endorse Gaza Agreement

Gaza Conflict
This comprehensive ceasefire proposal marks the latest attempt to resolve the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

President Trump has issued a ultimatum to Hamas, demanding them to agree to a proposed peace plan for the Gaza region otherwise face severe repercussions.

Through a post on his online channel on Friday, Trump announced that an deal must be achieved by 18:00 Washington time (22:00 GMT) on the coming Sunday.

This proposed plan includes an immediate halt to conflict and the return within 72 hours of twenty surviving Israeli detainees kept by Hamas—as well as the remains of hostages presumed to be deceased—for hundreds of arrested residents.

International mediators are believed to be pressing the organization for a positive answer to the plan, but a senior group official has indicated that the militant group is expected to refuse it.

"In case this ULTIMATE agreement is not reached, severe retaliation, similar to anyone has previously experienced, will erupt against the group. WE WILL ENSURE CALM IN THE AREA BY ANY MEANS," Trump wrote in the online message.

Negotiators have been in touch with the chief of the group's military wing in Gaza, who has suggested that he disagrees to the new US halt proposal, based on sources.

Sources indicate that a portion of Hamas's political leadership in Qatar are receptive to accepting the agreement with modifications—but have realized their influence limited as they are without command over the hostages detained by the organization.

An additional obstacle for certain in Hamas is that the plan requires them to hand over the entirety of the captives over the opening three-day period of the halt—surrendering their primary leverage point.

It is estimated to be 48 hostages still being held in the Gazan territory by the militant faction, only 20 of whom are thought to be living.

Israel's military began a operation in the Gaza Strip in reaction to the group's offensive on Israeli territory on a previous date, in which approximately twelve hundred civilians were killed and 251 others were seized.

At least sixty-six thousand two hundred eighty-eight residents have been killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza since then, based on data from the territory's Hamas-controlled health authority.

Debbie Brown
Debbie Brown

An art historian passionate about Italian culture and museum curation, sharing insights on Pisa's treasures.