Trump says Hamas has 'three or four days' to respond to Gaza peace deal, warns of 'very sad end'

US President Donald Trump - File Photo

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he was giving Hamas "three or four days" to respond to his Gaza ceasefire plan, under which the Palestinian militants must fully disarm and be excluded from future roles in government.

"We're going to do about three or four days," Trump told reporters when asked about any timeframe. "We're just waiting for Hamas, and Hamas is either going to be doing it or not. And if it's not, it's going to be a very sad end."

Hamas said it was reviewing Trump's plan for Gaza, while Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli military would stay in most of the territory after he gave the US president his backing.

The plan calls for a ceasefire, release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, disarmament of Hamas and gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, followed by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself.

Qatar, which hosts Hamas's exiled leadership, said the group had promised to study the proposal "responsibly", and also said it would hold a meeting on the plan with Hamas and Turkey later on Tuesday.

"It is still too early to speak about responses, but we are truly optimistic that this plan, as we said, is a comprehensive one," foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said.

On Monday in Washington, Trump described the announcement of the plan as a "beautiful day -- potentially one of the greatest days ever in civilisation".

The deal would demand Hamas militants fully disarm and be excluded from future roles in the government, but those who agreed to "peaceful co-existence" would be given amnesty.

It would also see a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, after nearly two years of war sparked by Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

But in a video statement posted on his Telegram channel after his joint press conference with Trump, Netanyahu said the military would stay in most of Gaza, and also said he did not agree to a Palestinian state during his talks in Washington.

"We will recover all our hostages, alive and well, while the (Israeli military) will remain in most of the Gaza Strip," he said.

Still, Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a member of Netanyahu's coalition government, blasted the plan as a "resounding diplomatic failure".

"In my estimation, it will also end in tears. Our children will be forced to fight in Gaza again," he said.