Hamas skeptical of US hostage proposal, won’t release all hostages on day one

Hamas is seeking international guarantees, particularly from Washington, to secure the war’s end.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A new US-backed framework aimed at ending the Gaza war and securing the release of hostages has drawn sharp resistance from Hamas, even as Israeli officials say they are giving the plan serious consideration.

The initiative, delivered in recent days through Israeli negotiator Gershon Baskin and Dr. Bishara Bahbah, proposes that Hamas hand over all 48 hostages, including those believed dead, on the first day of the deal.

In return, US President Donald Trump would guarantee that hostilities would not resume until negotiations produce a resolution.

Hamas sources told Asharq al Awsat the plan “contains many traps and pitfalls” and lacks key elements the group is demanding.

They said the framework does not address Israeli withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor or the reopening of Rafah crossing, and added that Hamas is seeking international guarantees, particularly from Washington, to secure the war’s end.

The proposal also calls for the release of 2,000 to 3,000 Palestinian prisoners, including convicted killers, and the cancellation of Israel’s planned operation in Gaza City.

Israeli troops, however, would continue to hold limited positions in parts of the Strip during the truce.

One obstacle highlighted by Hamas is the condition of the hostages themselves.

The group claimed that some captives were killed in areas now under Israeli control, making it difficult to recover their bodies without an IDF ceasefire.

Diplomatic pressure is mounting. Qatari Prime Minister Muhammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani pressed Hamas leaders in Doha on Monday to “respond positively” to the proposal, according to a source briefed on the discussions who spoke to Reuters.

Still, skepticism remains. “Hamas would essentially be giving up the hostages on day one in return for a presidential guarantee,” one source told The Jerusalem Post. “What happens if the negotiations collapse? Hamas would have lost all of its leverage.”