President Donald Trump has ramped up expectations around a possible 60-day ceasefire in the war in Gaza after he said Thursday that a response from Hamas was expected within the next day.
Asked by a reporter whether Hamas has agreed to the latest ceasefire and hostage deal, Trump replied “We’ll see what happens, we’re going to know over the next 24 hours.” Qatar put forward an updated proposal to Israel and Hamas earlier this week, and Israel accepted it on Tuesday.
Hamas says it will announce its decision after consultations with other Palestinian factions, without specifying how long this might take.
Trump has pushed hard for a ceasefire, saying on Tuesday that Israel had “agreed to the necessary conditions” to finalize a deal for a 60-day cessation of hostilities. In a post on Truth Social, Trump warned Hamas to accept the proposal as well.
“I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE,” he said, thanking Qatar and Egypt for their role in advancing the proposal.
The latest proposal does not differ markedly from previous plans put forward by negotiators, maintaining the same number of hostages released and the same length of the earlier temporary ceasefire. But the proposal offers two key concessions to Hamas demands, spacing out the release of hostages over the entire timeline and offering stronger guarantees – in this case, directly from Trump – that the ceasefire will continue beyond 60 days even if a comprehensive agreement to end the war has not yet been reached.
The plan calls for the release of 10 living Israeli hostages and 18 deceased hostages spread out over the full timeline, according to a source familiar with the negotiations who shared details of the plan.
On the first day of the ceasefire, Hamas would release eight living hostages. In exchange, Israel would release an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, and withdraw its forces from pre-agreed locations in northern Gaza. Israel would then withdraw from parts of southern Gaza on the seventh day, following the release of a number of deceased hostages.
Israel and Hamas would also immediately enter into negotiations for a permanent ceasefire once the initial truce goes into effect. A total of 50 hostages remain in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
The last two living hostages would be released on the fiftieth day of the ceasefire. Meanwhile, five deceased hostages would be released on the seventh and thirtieth days, while the final eight would be released on the final day.
Under the deal, hostages will be released without ceremonies or fanfare at Israel’s request – unlike during the last truce, when Hamas staged public propaganda events around hostage transfers that sparked outrage in Israel.
Humanitarian aid will immediately begin to flow into Gaza at the start of the ceasefire, including from the United Nations and from other aid organizations, similar to the previous ceasefire which began on January 19.
On Thursday, Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander met with Trump in Washington and said he told the president that he worries continued fighting in Gaza endangers the remaining hostages. A statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum after the meeting quoted Alexander as telling Trump, “I fear continued fighting endangers the hostages and hope you can achieve another historic breakthrough — a comprehensive deal to free them all, all 50 hostages. You are the person who can make it happen.”
