Hamas says ready for Gaza deal under Trump plan but demands 'guarantee to end war, prevent its return'

According to Gaza authorities, some 67,000 people have been killed and Gaza devastated since the October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militants on Israel. Israel says 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken back to Gaza as hostages on that day.

On the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks, Hamas declared it was ready to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal “based on President Donald Trump’s plan,” though key demands remain unresolved, reported Reuters. The announcement came as senior U.S. envoys and Qatar’s prime minister arrived in Egypt to take part in indirect negotiations with Israel.

President Trump, speaking in Washington, sounded upbeat about the latest diplomatic push. “I think there’s a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East beyond just Gaza,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. His special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who handled Middle East affairs during Trump’s first term, departed for Sharm el-Sheikh for the talks.

Reuters reported a source familiar with the discussions said Tuesday’s session had “a better atmosphere” than Monday’s, but cautioned that Wednesday’s meetings -- attended by top mediators -- would be the real test of progress. Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani was expected to join those talks “with the aim of pushing forward the Gaza ceasefire plan and hostage release agreement,” according to an official briefed on the matter.

From the Egyptian resort, senior Hamas figure Khalil Al-Hayya told Al Qahera News TV that the group came “to engage in serious and responsible negotiations.” He added that Hamas was open to a deal but wanted a “guarantee” to end the war and prevent it from starting again.

The conflict, which began when Palestinian gunmen stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, has left Gaza in ruins. Local authorities say around 67,000 Palestinians have died. Israel reports 1,200 people were killed in the initial assault, with 251 hostages taken.

Trump met earlier in Washington with Witkoff and Kushner to review “safety of the hostages and security guarantees,” according to a senior U.S. official. Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum meanwhile said their delegation in Egypt was “working to overcome all obstacles to reaching an agreement that meets the aspirations of our people in Gaza.”

Barhoum reiterated Hamas’s main conditions: a permanent ceasefire, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops, and immediate reconstruction of the Gaza Strip under a Palestinian “national technocratic body.” Israel has rejected these terms, insisting Hamas must disarm -- something the group refuses.

An alliance of Palestinian factions issued a statement stressing a “resistance stance by all means,” declaring that “no one has the right to cede the weapons of the Palestinian people.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a post on X, said Israel was in “fateful days of decision,” vowing to pursue the war’s objectives -- “the return of all the hostages, the elimination of Hamas’s rule, and the assurance that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.”

U.S. officials have indicated that current mediation efforts are focused on halting fighting and resolving the logistics of a potential exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

Despite the diplomatic push, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has continued, drawing increasing international criticism. Protests marking the anniversary of the Hamas assault took place in Sydney and several European cities, though some politicians condemned the rallies as glorifying violence.

For Israelis, the date reopened deep wounds. Orit Baron stood at the site of the Nova music festival where her daughter Yuval and her fiancé Moshe Shuva were killed. “They were supposed to get married on February 14th, Valentine’s Day,” she said. “They are buried next to each other because they were never separated.”

The families of hostages -- 48 of whom remain in Gaza, with only 20 believed alive -- still wait in anguish. “It’s like an open wound,” said 43-year-old Hilda Weisthal. “I can’t believe it’s been two years and they are still not home.”

In Gaza, the suffering remains immense. “It’s been two years that we are living in fear, horror, displacement and destruction,” said Mohammed Dib, 49, one of the many Palestinians uprooted multiple times during the war.

Officials on all sides warned against assuming a breakthrough was imminent, even as hope flickered for the first time in months that the war’s end might finally be in sight.