US president Donald Trump has claimed Israel has agreed to a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal, warning that conditions “will not get better”.
Fresh from helping broker a truce between Israel and Iran after 12 days of fighting, Mr Trump is reportedly pushing for a breakthrough in Gaza where Israel’s air and ground assault has been ongoing for 21 months.
The ceasefire deal, apparently months in the making, will represent a major diplomatic milestone if it comes through. But there is no sign that Hamas is ready to agree to the terms laid down by the US and Israel.
A senior Hamas source told The Independent that there were three issues still to resolve - the question of aid, the Israeli army leaving and whether the fighting would stop after 60 days, adding “so far the formula is not satisfactory”.
The militant group emphasised its demand that the war must end, adding that it would only accept an initiative which “clearly leads to the complete end to the war”.
Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said that the militant group was "ready and serious regarding reaching an agreement”. A Hamas delegation is expected to meet with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the proposal, according to an Egyptian official.
Mr Trump made the announcement days before hosting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks at the White House.
The president has reportedly been ramping up pressure on both Israel and Hamas to finalise a ceasefire and hostage deal.
“My Representatives had a long and productive meeting with the Israelis today on Gaza. Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalise the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War,” he said on his Truth Social platform, adding that Qatari and Egyptian officials would deliver the final proposal.
“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.”
The specific terms that Israel may have agreed to remain unclear.
The Independent understands that the full text of the new draft deal has yet to be sent to Hamas. However, a key problem with what has been shared publicly is the two-month time limit on the deal and what happens after it expires, the official explained.
The Hamas official said: “The most important thing is to guarantee an end to the hostilities and the prevention of the continuation of fighting after the 60 days. This is what Israel rejects.”
This has been a key sticking point that has scuppered previous negotiations. The Israeli government has insisted that any deal should only be temporary, with extreme-right members of Netanyahu’s government, like finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, claiming even a temporary ceasefire and hostage release agreement is “surrender”.
Hamas has repeatedly argued that for any hostage deal to happen, there must be guarantees written into the agreement of a timeline for a full end to the conflict. The militant group has also said in the past that a red line is the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the territory of Gaza.
There are fears that Israel will maintain a military presence in parts – if not all – of the Strip, and will prevent civilians from returning home to the heavily bombed north.
Mr Trump’s announcement came the same day Israeli strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer reportedly met US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
They reportedly discussed a revised ceasefire and hostage exchange proposal put forward by Qatar. According to a senior Israeli official quoted by Axios, Mr Dermer told Mr Witkoff Israel accepted the Qatari plan and was ready to start indirect negotiations with Hamas to finalise the agreement.
The draft agreement proposes a 60-day ceasefire, during which Israel and Hamas will negotiate a permanent end to the war as well as a framework for post-war governance in Gaza.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 56,647 people and injured 134,105, according to the Gaza’s health ministry, and left almost the entire population of 2.2 million displaced from their homes and on the brink of starvation.
Israel launched the air and ground assault in October 2023 after 1,139 Israelis were killed and 251 taken hostage during a Hamas attack.
In Gaza, civilians suffering famine-like conditions and daily, relentless bombardment tentatively welcomed the news. Although some said they did not trust the US president after many conflicting promises, and after he has continued to arm Israel and even join Israel in its bombing campaigns in Iran .
“I see Trump as part of the conflict, not a mediator to stop the war or solve our problems. How can he be a guarantor of an agreement when they are participants in it? I hope the opposite of what I expect and feel is true,” said Khaled Hajjaj, 36, displaced from the destroyed east of Gaza and now living in a makeshift camp along the coast.
“We in Gaza are living the harsh, devastating reality. We don’t just watch events; we have lived them for two years. There have been a lot of negotiations that have taken place – dozens of times – without success. I see this time as just another attempt, and so I am pessimistic.”
Muhannad, 32, also displaced from the north, said that previous statements from Trump “have made us distrust him”.
“Two months ago, Trump promised that there would be good news for Gaza within days. The exact opposite has happened: more massacres, hunger, a blockade, and the ongoing escalation,” he added.
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