Hamas’ official says the Palestinian organization will “soon” respond to President Donald Trump’s call to end Israel’s nearly two-year occupation of Gaza.
Mohammed Nazzal, a member of the Hamas political bureau, informed Al Jazeera Arabic on Thursday that the organization was discussing Trump’s plan to end Israel’s occupation of Gaza and would soon make an announcement about its position.
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Nazzal claimed that Hamas has a right to express its opinions “in a way that serves the interests” of the Palestinian people as representatives of the Palestinian resistance.
According to Nazzal, “We are not dealing]with the plan” when it is believed that time is a sword pointing our way.
A 20-point document was unveiled earlier this week by the White House calling for an immediate ceasefire, the exchange of Hamas prisoners for Palestinian political prisoners held by Israel, the staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas disarmament, and a transitional government led by an international body.
Trump gave Hamas three to four days to approve the plan on Tuesday.
Many Palestinians believe the plan favors Israel, but many Palestinians long for an end to the conflict.
In previous negotiations, Hamas has urged Israel to completely leave the devastated region and requests a permanent ceasefire, as well as guarantees that displaced families will be able to return to their homes, particularly in the north of Gaza, where Israeli forces are mounting attacks.
Egypt working to persuade Hamas
Egypt’s foreign minister earlier on Thursday stated that his nation was working with Qatar and Turkiye to persuade Hamas to accept Trump’s proposal.
Badr Abdelatty, who spoke on Thursday at the French Institute of International Relations in Paris, made the clear point that Hamas needed to disarm and that Israel should not be given a justification for its continued assault on Gaza.
“Let’s not give a single party any justification for using Hamas as a pretext for these outrageous daily killings of civilians.” According to Israeli records, what is happening has already been done well past the seventh of October, he said, referring to the Palestinians’ 2023 rocket attack against Israel, which resulted in 1, 129 fatalities.
More than 66, 000 people have died as a result of Israel’s offensive against Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, most of whom are women and children. However, according to experts, the death toll could be up to three times higher.
Beyond retaliation, it is. This is a genocide in action, along with ethnic cleansing. Thus, Abdelatty concluded, “Enough is enough.”
Many “holes need to be filled”
Important mediators Qatar and Egypt claimed that more discussions of Trump’s plan are necessary.
Abdelatty claimed Cairo was working with Qatar and Turkiye to persuade Hamas to support the plan, but he remained cautious.
“It would be very difficult if Hamas refuses, you know.” And of course, there will be more escalation. So that’s why we are making great efforts to get Hamas’ approval and make this plan work,” he said.
Abdelatty claimed that more discussions of the issue were necessary despite his general support for Trump’s proposal for Gaza.
He said, “We need more discussions on how to implement it, especially on two crucial issues: governance and security arrangements, because there are many gaps that need to be filled.” We support the Trump strategy, the end to war, and the need to advance.
When questioned about the potential for Palestinian displacement caused by the Trump plan, he said Egypt would not accept that.
He claimed that displacement would mean the Palestinian cause would never be resolved. Under no circumstances, “We will not allow this to occur.”
Trump, in contrast, warned that if Hamas refused to accept his proposal for Gaza, and that the US president could impose sanctions on Hamas.
The US has frequently pushed Israel’s proposals for getting Palestinian support since the start of the Israeli occupation of Gaza, and then placed Hamas as the main factor in the end.
The president of the United States will have to draw a red line, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in an interview with Fox News.
Hamas was subsequently requested by Kaja Kallas, the head of foreign policy at the European Union, to accept the proposal.
We demand that Hamas follow the instructions, release all hostages who are still alive, and detain its weapons. The EU pleads with those who have influence to “transmit these messages to Hamas,” according to a statement.
Vladimir Putin, president, stated that only if the plan results in a two-state solution, Russia would be willing to back it.
Hamas “has lost,” according to France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
The plan provides safe passage to receiving nations for Hamas members who pledge to peaceful coexistence and surrender their weapons, and for those who want to leave Gaza.
Masa “rejects a very large responsibility for the Palestinians’ devastation,” Barrot told the AFP news agency. It must accept its own surrender, the saying goes.
According to experts, the strategy echoes earlier Western attempts to reshape the Middle East without local support.
Political analyst Xavier Abu Eid told Al Jazeera, “With this agreement, it’s clear that what they’re presenting is a formula that they tried to use before in Iraq, and I think they completely failed.”
Abu Eid noted that many in the region are concerned about Tony Blair’s involvement in Trump’s proposal, which he was referring to as the US war in Iraq in 2003.
