Hamas said Wednesday it is “ready” for a deal to end the war with Israel — without fully committing to the 60-day cease-fire brokered by President Trump.
The terrorist group is “ready and serious regarding reaching an agreement,” Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said in a statement soon after Trump said Israel had agreed to a cease-fire.
However, he stressed that Hamas is only “ready to accept any initiative that clearly leads to the complete end to the war,” suggesting it was not committed to Trump’s temporary cease-fire plan.
The statement came hours after Trump claimed Israel had agreed on terms for the deal and urged Hamas to accept it before conditions worsen.
The 60-day period would be used to work toward ending the war in Gaza, Trump said, although Israel has insisted it won’t end its bombardment until Hamas is defeated.
Trump said a deal between the Israeli government and the Palestinian militant group could be finalized as soon as next week.
Hamas officials are due to meet in Cairo today with mediators from Egypt and Qatar in order to discuss the proposal, according to an Egyptian official.
The US-proposed deal would include a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a huge increase in humanitarian aid to the besieged territory, an Israeli official said.
Hamas has said it is willing to free the remaining 50 hostages — less than half of whom are believed to be alive — in exchange for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the 21-month conflict.
But Israel has said it will only agree to an end to hostilities if Hamas surrenders, disarms and exiles itself, something the group has refused to do.
Israel has yet to comment publicly on Trump’s announcement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to fly to Washington next Monday for talks with the president.
With Post wires
