Hamas Pressured by Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey to Accept Trump Agreement

A coordinated diplomatic push led by Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey is pressing Hamas to accept a ceasefire and hostage release proposal unveiled by U.S. President Donald Trump, even as resistance within the group’s leadership in Gaza threatens to derail the plan.

The proposal, revealed Monday at the White House alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for the release of all 48 remaining Israeli hostages within 72 hours. In return, Israel would release 250 prisoners serving life sentences, along with 1,700 Gazans detained since the October 7 massacre including women and minors. The plan also includes the return of 15 deceased Gazans’ bodies for each fallen Israeli hostage.

In broader terms, the deal outlines a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, complete disarmament of terror factions, unrestricted humanitarian access, and the establishment of an international transitional authority to govern Gaza one that excludes both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.

Trump emphasized that Hamas had only “three or four days” to agree or “pay in hell,” noting that the deal has international backing, including from Russia, the Vatican, the Palestinian Authority, and key Arab states. Predictably, anti-Israel voices in the U.S. denounced the agreement.

Mediation efforts continued this week in Doha, where Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad met with Hamas leaders. The following day, Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin joined the negotiations. Sources reported by Axios claim that al-Thani told Hamas they would not get a better deal and urged them to trust Trump’s commitment to ending the war.

Still, deep divisions inside Hamas remain. The Gaza-based military wing, led by figures like Izz al-Din Haddad, is reportedly determined to continue fighting. These leaders have sidelined external Hamas officials many of whom have little or no control over hostages or battlefield decisions.

A senior Hamas official told the BBC that the proposal was “unjust” and served “Israel’s interests,” particularly rejecting the idea of a foreign stabilization force, calling it a masked form of occupation.

This fracture between internal Hamas hardliners and external political operatives reveals the depth of the crisis. The war, ignited by Hamas’s October 7 terrorist rampage, has left Gaza devastated and 48 Israeli hostages unaccounted for. Israel has been clear: the war will not end until hostages are returned and Hamas is no longer able to govern or rearm.

While much of the world urges a peaceful resolution, Hamas’s refusal to release innocent captives and its hostility to compromise continue to block progress. The international community must recognize that no true ceasefire is possible without the return of the hostages and the removal of Hamas’s grip on Gaza’s future.

Israel remains committed to the safety of its people and to a future of security and peace not through appeasement, but through accountability. Share this story and subscribe to our newsletter for critical updates from Israel’s fight for justice and freedom.