Donald Trump has welcomed the response of Hamas to the U.S. ceasefire and hostage release proposal for Gaza.
After the militant group said Friday it was ready to enter talks to end the war with Israel, without confirming it had accepted terms, the U.S. president told reporters that the Hamas response was “good” and suggested a deal could be struck next week.
Hamas captivity survivor Keith Siegel said in a media statement shared with Newsweek that Trump is “the only one” who can strike a comprehensive deal that can bring the remaining captives home.
Newsweek has contacted the Israeli government for comment.
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Why It Matters
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Trump in Washington, D.C., on Monday. The positive response from Hamas and the U.S. president’s comments that a deal could happen next week have raised speculation that an end to the near-21-month war between Israel and Hamas could be imminent.
What To Know
Trump had said on Tuesday that Israel had agreed the conditions required for a 60-day ceasefire to end the war that followed Hamas’ attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023; around 1,200 people were killed and over 250 taken hostage.
Israel’s bombardment on Gaza since then has killed over 57,000, according to The Associated Press, citing local health officials.
Hamas said Friday it had responded in “a positive spirit” to a U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal and was ready for talks.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Friday that he welcomed the response by Hamas as “good” and hoped there would be a deal next week.
Hamas had requested changes to the deal; these include ending a U.S.-backed aid system by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in favor of the U.N. and its partners, as well as American guarantees that the war would not resume if talks failed, the BBC reported, citing a Palestinian official.
The plan is also believed to include the staggered release of 10 living Israeli hostages and the bodies of 18 other hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Some 50 hostages are held in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has demanded a deal to end the war and release the remaining hostages. Thousands are expected to join hostage families at rallies in Israel on Saturday to urge the government to reach a deal to free the captives.
In a statement via the forum provided to Newsweek on Friday, Hamas captivity survivor Keith Siegel said he and his family were grateful for Trump for prioritizing the hostage crisis, but only a comprehensive deal can bring all of them home.
“President Donald Trump, you are the only one who can do it,” Siegel said. “End the war, bring them home, create a better future for the Middle East.”
What People Are Saying
Hamas said in a statement it consulted the latest proposal by the mediators to halt the war in Gaza and that it was “fully prepared, with all seriousness, to immediately enter a new round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework.”
President Donald Trump said: “They (Hamas) said they gave me a positive response? Well, that’s good. There could be a Gaza deal next week.”
Mayar Al Farr, a 13-year-old Palestinian girl, told Reuters: “There should have been a ceasefire long ago before I lost my brother.”
Hamas captivity survivor Keith Siegel said in a statement: “My family and I are eternally thankful to President Donald Trump for prioritizing the hostage crisis since day one of his presidency and bringing me and so many others home. Fifty hostages are still in Hamas captivity. Only a comprehensive deal can bring all of them home.”
What Happens Next
Given Trump’s comments that a deal could be reached next week, there will be anticipation over the next move Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who will meet Trump in Washington on Monday.
The Israeli leader has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, but it is thought that this is something that the militant group has so far refused to discuss. The Times of Israel newspaper reported that Netanyahu was working with Trump on a deal to end the war, despite the opposition of the right-wing flank of his government.
