Hamas said Friday it has agreed to parts of the ceasefire and hostage release deal that President Trump outlined earlier this week, but suggested portions of the deal should be subject to negotiation.

A source familiar with the talks told CBS News that Hamas is ready to enter further negotiations. A U.S. official told CBS News the United States views Hamas’ response as positive, though there are details that still need to be hammered out, such as the decommissioning of weapons, which may begin as soon as next week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the deal on Monday. Earlier Friday, Mr. Trump gave Hamas until Sunday evening to accept the deal, warning that “all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas” if they failed to do so.

Mr. Trump and Netanyahu have not spoken publicly about Hamas’s response, but in a post on X, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt indicated the U.S. president would respond soon to “Hamas’ acceptance of his Peace Plan.” Mr. Trump also posted a copy of Hamas’s statement on Truth Social.

Hamas stated it is willing to release all living hostages and the remains of deceased hostages “in accordance with the exchange formula set forth in President Trump’s proposal.” The White House proposal called for Hamas to release all hostages taken on October 7, 2023, within 72 hours. In return, Israel would release 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1,700 other Gazans detained following the start of the conflict.

The deal further called for an immediate end to fighting if both sides accept the terms, and for Israel’s military to withdraw to an “agreed upon line.”

Hamas also expressed willingness to “hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats), based on Palestinian national consensus and with the support of Arab and Islamic parties,” another key part of Mr. Trump’s proposal.

However, the group was less clear on other portions of the deal. The statement noted that some aspects of Mr. Trump’s proposal “remain linked to a comprehensive national stance, grounded in relevant international laws and resolutions.” Hamas said these issues will need to be discussed “within an inclusive Palestinian national framework” that includes Hamas.

It remains uncertain if Hamas has agreed to relinquish any role in the governance of Gaza, which was one provision of Mr. Trump’s proposal.

The plan, unveiled on September 29 by Mr. Trump and backed by Netanyahu, called for Hamas to free all remaining Israeli hostages and for the Israeli military to begin withdrawing from parts of the Gaza Strip in phases. It also proposed handing over parts of Gaza to a technocratic Palestinian committee and deploying a temporary security force backed by Arab states.

Netanyahu, who joined Mr. Trump for a joint news conference at the White House when the 20-point proposal was announced, expressed his support for the plan. He said that if Hamas does not accept the offer, “Israel will finish the job by itself. We’re giving everybody a chance to have this done peacefully.”

Warning Hamas about the consequences of rejection, Netanyahu stated: “But if Hamas rejects your plan, Mr. President, or if they supposedly accept it and then basically do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself. This can be done the easy way or it can be done the hard way, but it will be done.”

President Trump told Netanyahu Monday that if Hamas were to reject the proposal, “you’d have our full backing to do what you would have to do.” He also emphasized that his goal is to ensure a “sustainable, long-term peace.”

On Monday, the president said he and Netanyahu were “waiting for signatures and waiting for approvals from a lot of different countries that are involved in this.”

The conflict between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Since then, Israel has conducted an intense aerial bombardment and ground campaign in the Gaza Strip.

According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, more than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed; the ministry does not specify how many of the dead were civilians or militants. Israeli authorities believe around 50 hostages remain in Gaza, fewer than half of whom are still alive.

Claire Day, Margaret Brennan, and Melissa Gaffney contributed to this report.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hamas-agreed-to-parts-of-gaza-peace-proposal-trump-israel/