‘Approval to Hand Over Gaza’: Hamas Issues Full Statement on Trump’s Peace Plan

Hamas on Friday announced it would accept parts of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, including the release of all remaining hostages taken during the October 7 attacks and a willingness to hand power to a politically independent Palestinian body.

The group said it valued the role of Arab, Islamic and international mediators, including Trump, in efforts to end the nearly two-year conflict. In its statement, Hamas pledged readiness to negotiate the release of hostages “according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump’s proposal,” while reiterating its openness to transferring Gaza’s administration to a technocratic authority backed by regional partners.

Citing “national responsibility” and consultations with Palestinian factions and mediators, Hamas framed its decision as part of efforts to stop what it called “aggression and genocide” in Gaza. The statement, which Trump reposted on Truth Social, made no mention of disarmament—Israel’s core demand in the US plan.

Israel’s leadership, meanwhile, has instructed the military to scale back operations in Gaza in anticipation of what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office called the “immediate implementation” of the plan’s first stage. Earlier, Trump publicly urged Israel to stop its bombing campaign, writing, “I believe they [Hamas] are ready for a lasting PEACE.”

Trump’s 21-point proposal—endorsed by Netanyahu—calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and Hamas’s eventual disarmament. It also stipulates that Hamas and other armed factions would have no role in governing Gaza, which would instead be overseen by an interim technocratic body under a transitional authority headed by Trump.

While Hamas agreed to discuss prisoner exchanges and governance changes, it stressed that broader issues tied to Gaza’s future and Palestinian rights would need to be decided through a collective national framework in line with international law.