In a week fraught with tension and tentative hope, the world has watched as Hamas, Israel, and the United States edge closer to what could be a pivotal moment in the nearly two-year-long Gaza conflict. On October 4, 2025, Hamas publicly announced its readiness to begin immediate talks on freeing Israeli hostages and ending the war, a move that followed mounting pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump and a chorus of international mediators. Yet, beneath the surface, deep divisions persist—both within Hamas itself and between the negotiating parties—casting uncertainty over whether this diplomatic push will finally bring the violence to a halt.
The latest chapter began on September 29, when President Trump unveiled a sweeping 20-point plan aimed at ending the war in Gaza. The proposal, which Trump described as a “very special day” for peace, called for a halt to hostilities, the release of hostages within 72 hours, a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the disarmament of Hamas. But Trump did not stop there: he issued a series of ultimatums to Hamas, first demanding a reply within days, then setting a hard deadline for the evening of October 5. If no agreement was reached by then, he warned, “all HELL” would break loose. According to The Economist, this threat was not taken lightly by the Palestinian militant group, nor by the international community watching anxiously from the sidelines.
Hamas’s response, however, has been anything but straightforward. As of October 4, the group had said “yes, but” to Trump’s plan, declining to agree to the crucial points of disarmament or ceding power in Gaza. The group’s political and military wings remain split: political leaders, including Khalil al-Hayya, have signaled a willingness to compromise despite deep reservations, while military commanders have resisted surrendering weapons. According to reporting from Watch, Hamas leader Izz al-Din Haddad has expressed openness to relinquishing offensive rockets but insists on retaining defensive arms—a position that falls short of the full disarmament demanded by the U.S. plan.
“Hamas is discussing this plan with seriousness,” Mohammad Nazzal, a senior political member of the group, told Al Jazeera on Thursday. “We have comments on the plan and are looking for gray areas in it that we could work with.” Nazzal emphasized that Hamas would not accept a “take it or leave it” ultimatum, stating that the group was conferring with other Palestinian factions and would announce its position soon. The stakes could hardly be higher: as Nazzal acknowledged, the group’s decision would have profound implications for both Palestinian civilians and the Israeli hostages who have suffered immensely during the conflict.
Meanwhile, Israel has been preparing its own response. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has thrown his support behind Trump’s plan, telling reporters that if Hamas does not accept the terms, Israel will “continue with its campaign in Gaza and finish the job by itself.” According to a statement from Netanyahu’s office, Israel is already preparing for the immediate implementation of the first stage of Trump’s plan, which centers on the release of all hostages. “We will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles set out by Israel, which align with President Trump’s vision,” the statement read.
On the ground, the situation remains dire. Gaza’s civil defense agency reported heavy Israeli air and artillery bombardment on October 4, killing at least 11 people, including eight in Gaza City. As the war nears its two-year mark, the death toll continues to climb: the conflict began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which left 1,219 people dead, mostly civilians, according to Israeli official figures cited by AFP. Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed at least 66,288 Palestinians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable. More than half of those killed are women and children, highlighting the immense human cost of the ongoing violence.
Despite the grim realities on the battlefield, there have been glimmers of hope. News of Hamas’s willingness to negotiate was met with celebratory cries in the coastal area of Al-Mawasi, where displaced Palestinians have sought refuge. “The moment I read the news... my body trembled and shivered. A feeling came over me, like, ‘Oh Allah, at last relief has come to us,’” said Samah Al-Hu, a displaced Palestinian, in an interview with AFP. Mohammad Abu Hatab, another resident of Gaza City, echoed this optimism: “We hope, with the efforts of mediators, that the war is completely halted and our joy is fulfilled.”
Internationally, the response to Hamas’s tentative agreement has been largely positive. Key mediators Qatar and Egypt welcomed the statements, expressing hope that the developments would help ensure an end to the conflict. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres “urges all parties to seize the opportunity,” his spokesman said. Leaders from France, Germany, Britain, and Turkey also hailed the news as a significant step toward peace, with Turkey noting that Hamas’s response “provides an opportunity for the immediate establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza.”
Yet, even as hope flickers, skepticism remains. Some hard-line Hamas officials have outright rejected Trump’s plan. Abdel Jabbar Saeed, a Hamas official based in Qatar, posted on social media, “Despite the criminal extermination being carried out by this criminal enemy, this resistance will continue to exist until our people achieve their goals and desires.” Others, like Belal Rayan, the son of a slain Hamas leader, have warned that accepting the plan would be “political suicide that will destroy the Palestinian cause.” According to Esmat Mansour, a Palestinian analyst who spent years in Israeli prison with Hamas leaders, “Rejecting the plan will make it look like it is justifying the continuation of the war. Accepting it will be tantamount to signing on to its demise.”
Amid these internal divisions, Hamas has agreed to negotiate the exchange of all Israeli hostages and is open to discussing the terms of a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. However, the group has thus far declined to fully embrace the plan’s most contentious demands: complete disarmament and relinquishing all governing authority in Gaza. The proposal calls for a technocratic body, overseen by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself, to administer the territory—a stipulation that Hamas has not explicitly accepted, though it has said it would “participate and contribute responsibly” in broader Palestinian discussions regarding Gaza’s future.
As the October 5 deadline looms, both sides have signaled cautious optimism, but the path ahead remains uncertain. The humanitarian situation in Gaza grows more desperate by the day, and the political calculus for Hamas is fraught with risk. With international mediators pressing for compromise and the threat of renewed violence hanging in the balance, the coming days may well determine whether this latest peace initiative will bring true relief to a region exhausted by war—or simply mark another missed opportunity on the long, troubled road to peace.
