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Hamas officials considering ‘grey areas’ in Trump ceasefire deal, may not reject it outright

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Mohammed Nazal, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, said that the group’s leadership is searching for ‘gray areas’ that might allow it to respond without issuing a flat rejection.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A senior Hamas political figure on Friday said the terror group is not rejecting US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan outright, even the BBC reported earlier that other Hamas officials were poised to reject it.

Mohammed Nazal, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, told Al Jazeera that the group’s leadership held days of internal consultations and is searching for “gray areas” that might allow it to respond without issuing a flat rejection. “We are not coming from a standpoint of outright rejection,” Nazal said, adding that Hamas would soon announce its formal position on Trump’s 21-point proposal.

His remarks came after conflicting reports about Hamas’ stance. On Thursday evening, the BBC reported that Qatar and Egypt had relayed the views of Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, head of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza, who said he opposes the plan outright.

According to the report, al-Haddad argued the US initiative seeks to end Hamas’ rule “whether the organization agrees to it or not,” and therefore Hamas must continue fighting.

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Earlier in the week, another senior Hamas figure told the BBC the plan “serves Israel’s interests” and “ignores those of the Palestinian people,” and would likely be rejected. Yet CBS News reported on Tuesday that Hamas was leaning toward accepting the proposal.

Trump, who unveiled the peace plan on Monday alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has pressed for a rapid answer. “We’re going to do about three or four days,” he told reporters on Tuesday. The following day, he warned Hamas of severe consequences if it refused: “We have one signature that we need, and that signature will pay in hell if they don’t sign.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the deadline.

Egypt’s foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry Abdelatty, said Cairo was working with Qatar and Turkey to persuade Hamas to accept the deal but remained cautious. “If Hamas refuse, then it would be very difficult. And of course, we will have more escalation,” he said. While supportive of Trump’s initiative, he stressed that further discussions are required, particularly on governance and security arrangements.

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