Trump sets Sunday night deadline for Hamas to back Gaza plan

The US president did not specify what he would do if Hamas blows past the Sunday deadline

President Donald Trump said he is setting a Sunday evening deadline for Hamas to agree to his plan to end the war in Gaza, warning of stark consequences if the group does not sign on to the proposal.

“An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time,” Trump said in a social-media post on Friday. “Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.”

Trump earlier this week announced a 20-point plan alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the two-year conflict and warned that if Hamas rejected the deal Israel would have “our full backing” to destroy the militant group.

The plan would see the release of all hostages being held by Hamas and mandates that the group, designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union, has no future role in Gaza. The agreement would also see Israel release nearly 2,000 prisoners and stipulates that it would not occupy or annex Gaza.

The US president did not specify what he would do if Hamas blows past the Sunday deadline. Trump has previously set deadlines to raise pressure on other parties in negotiations or for major policy announcements, only to disregard or miss those dates. He’s also previously warned Hamas of dire consequences if it did not release the hostages it took in its Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

While Netanyahu has signed on to the agreement and Trump has claimed the support of other Middle Eastern allies, Hamas has yet to agree to its terms. Leaders of Arab and Muslim states have been pushing Hamas to accept the proposal, saying that securing an end to the fighting, which has ravaged Gaza and sparked a humanitarian crisis in the territory, should take precedence over concerns about the finer details of the plan.

On Tuesday, a day after publicly unveiling his proposal, Trump said that Hamas had “about three or four days” to decide. If Hamas rejects the plan, Israel has said it will continue with its military offensive focused on taking control of Gaza City in the north of the Palestinian territory.

Members of Hamas’ political wing met with officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey earlier this week. The delegation said it was carefully reviewing the plan and would prepare a response after clarifying some of the technical aspects and consulting with other Palestinian factions.