US President Donald Trump has warned that Hamas will face “terrible destruction” if it does not accept the peace plan presented by the United States.
Hamas must accept the US peace plan by 22:00 GMT (18:00 Washington time) tomorrow (5), Sunday, or else action will be taken against them, Donald Trump wrote in his social media message.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a 20-point plan to end the Palestinian-Israeli crisis at the White House on Monday, September 30. Its main points are the Israeli hostages held by Hamas and the Gazans held by Israel.
1 The release of 20 living Israeli hostages held by Hamas and the bodies of the hostages presumed dead within 72 hours.
2 In response, the exchange of hundreds of Gazans held by Hamas. These two conditions have been imposed by the United States, and Hamas has not yet agreed to them.
This is the final declaration of peace, says the new American president. If an agreement cannot be reached at this final stage, Hamas will face a severe attack it has never experienced in history, the American president says. It states that this will permanently destroy Hamas and bring peace to the Middle East.
Arab and Turkish mediators are already reportedly pressuring Hamas to respond positively to the proposal. Foreign media reports that if they do not agree, Hamas may lose the regional support it has been receiving in the future.
Although the mediators have contacted the head of Hamas’s military wing in the Gaza Strip, he has indicated that he will not agree to the new American ceasefire plan. However, a significant number of Hamas’s political leadership in Qatar are reportedly ready to accept the plan with some amendments.
However, foreign media say that since the main US demand, the hostages, is in the custody of Hamas’ armed wing, they have little influence over fulfilling the American conditions.
If Hamas agrees to hand over all hostages within the first 72 hours of the ceasefire, it will lose its only bargaining chip in the Middle East crisis. It is believed that 48 hostages are still being held in the Palestinian territories, of which only 20 are thought to be alive.
Under the peace plan, Hamas will have no role in governing the Gaza Strip, and the door will eventually open to a Palestinian state. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a video statement shortly after the announcement, saying that his party’s long-standing opposition to a Palestinian state would remain unchanged.
Once Hamas accepts the plan, full aid will be sent to Gaza. The plan for the future administration of the Gaza Strip would see a “technical, impartial Palestinian committee” temporarily run under the supervision of an international transitional body called the “Board of Peace,” with Trump as its head.
Donald Trump has repeatedly stressed that if Hamas does not agree to a plan, America will support Israel in completing the task of destroying the Hamas threat. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who expressed his views on this, said that if Hamas rejects the peace plan, Israel will complete the task.
On October 7, 2023, the Israeli military launched an operation in the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas attacks on southern Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
According to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza, 66,288 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since then.
The Israeli Defense Minister has warned that those who remain in the city during the offensive against Hamas will be considered “terrorists and supporters of terrorism.”