(CNN) — Hamas announced that it had agreed to “immediately” enter negotiations for the release of all hostages according to U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan in a potential breakthrough after months of failed efforts to end the war.
Hamas stopped short of accepting the Trump proposal unconditionally. The militant group said it is ready to immediately enter negotiations through mediators to discuss the details of the exchange and said it is ready to hand over the governance of Gaza to “a Palestinian authority of independents (technocrats) based on Palestinian national consensus and with reliance on Arab and Islamic support.”
The response to the Trump proposal, which was sent to the U.S. through mediators, was obtained by CNN.
The release of the remaining 48 hostages within 72 hours and the agreement to relinquish power in Gaza were two of the key demands of the Trump proposal but were viewed as potential red lines that would lead to Hamas’ rejection of the plan.
The stated agreement of Hamas to these two conditions provides a pathway forward for a ceasefire proposal that has international backing, especially amid growing calls for an end to the war. But a finalized ceasefire deal is far from certain, even with Qatar, Egypt and Turkey pressuring Hamas to accept the proposal.
The Hamas response makes no mention of disarmament or the decommissioning of weaponry, another critical part of the Trump proposal that Hamas has repeatedly rejected. Nor does the Hamas response address the creation of an international oversight committee led by Trump – which he’s dubbed the “Board of Peace” – to supervise the governance of Gaza.
Instead, Hamas broadly said the remaining issues mentioned in the American proposal “related to the future of the Gaza Strip and the inherent rights of the Palestinian people” will be discussed in the future. Hamas also insisted that it “will be included and will contribute with full responsibility” to a “comprehensive national Palestinian framework.” That statement defies the Trump proposal’s demand that Hamas and other militant factions in Gaza play no role in governing the battered territory “directly or indirectly.”
Earlier Friday, Trump had said if the terror group hasn’t agreed to the proposal by 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, “all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out.” CNN has reached out to the White House about Hamas’ response.
It’s unlikely mediators can reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas on such a tight timeline, but they can potentially begin the negotiations needed to bridge the key gaps in the proposal.
Trump has been waiting since Monday to hear a response to the 20-point plan he unveiled alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. He said a day after the announcement he would give Hamas three or four days to respond.
Netanyahu said during their joint appearance that Israel agreed to the framework, which spells out an end to the war, the release of hostages and a redevelopment plan for the devastated enclave. Trump deemed the announcement “potentially one of the great days ever in civilization.”
Hamas has been in discussions with regional mediators from Qatar and Egypt to discuss the plan. Trump spoke midweek with Qatar’s emir for an update on the conversations.
Communication problems with Hamas’ military leaders in Gaza could have been complicating receiving an official response, according to US officials who were advised of the difficulties by regional partners earlier this week.
The sporadic contacts, paired with divisions among Hamas leadership over elements of the plan, may have been prolonging the group’s response, the officials said before Hamas responded.
In previous attempts at securing a ceasefire, communications were halting between Hamas’ political wing, based in Qatar, and its military leaders in Gaza.
Among the sticking points were the plan’s demand that the terror group disarm and destroy its weapons, and the formation of a peacekeeping force in Gaza, officials said. The group’s leaders appeared divided over what aspects of the plan to accept and which to attempt to modify, the officials said.
Under the proposal, all of Hamas’ infrastructure above and below ground would be destroyed, with the supervision of independent monitors, “and not rebuilt.”
The plan Trump unveiled calls for Israel to release 250 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences, as well as 1,700 Palestinians detained since the start of the war, in exchange for Hamas freeing 48 hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Hamas members can be granted amnesty after that if they “commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons.”
Israel would gradually withdraw from Gaza as a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF), led by Arab partners, takes over security in the battered territory, according to the plan. Meanwhile, a Palestinian committee, overseen by an international body dubbed the “Board of Peace,” would run Gaza until a reformed Palestinian Authority is ready to take over. The proposal recognizes the aspiration for a Palestinian state and tries to present a “credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
Hamas will “try to whittle around the issues related to disarmament as well as the upfront obligation to turn over all hostages and the remains,” said Barbara Leaf, who served as the top State Department official for Middle East affairs during the Biden administration.
And Leaf, who also served as US ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, pointed to a split in Hamas leadership.
“It has always been exceptionally difficult to put true pressure on Hamas as a whole, because of this bifurcation, those who are in Gaza underground … that they feel they have an advantage on versus those outside, who, perhaps, under these circumstances, could be pushed to the point of agreeing to these terms,” she explained.
“If they agree on the outside, but they can’t get the veto lifted from inside, it’s a dilemma for everyone.”
Still, Leaf believes that there is room for negotiations on the deal, which lacks a number of specifics, that could get Hamas to agree to it. Another diplomat said they anticipate Hamas will likely respond positively but will seek amendments to the proposal.
CNN’s Ibrahim Dahman, Jennifer Hansler, Mostafa Salem and Nadeen Ebrahim contributed to this report.
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