Hamas weighs changes to Trump’s plan amid intense internal consultations

A source close to Hamas said the movement is seeking to amend some clauses of the U.S. president’s plan to end the war on the Gaza Strip, including the disarmament clause and the departure of its leaders from the territory.

A Palestinian official close to Hamas said the movement “wants to amend some clauses of Trump’s plan such as disarmament and the removal of Hamas and faction members.”

He said “intensive consultations are taking place around the clock within the movement’s leadership in Palestine and abroad, and with the mediators,” explaining that four meetings were held on Monday in Doha with Qatari and Egyptian mediators “in the presence of Turkish officials.”

He said Hamas “told the mediators of the need to provide international guarantees for a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and to prevent Israel from violating the ceasefire.”

Qatar had announced that talks would be held on Tuesday evening in Doha with Hamas, Turkey and Egypt to discuss the U.S. president’s plan.

The Trump plan, unveiled on Monday and approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for an immediate halt to the war in Gaza once both parties agree to the plan, followed by the release of all Israeli captives held in Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including those serving life sentences.

The plan consists of twenty points, including the disarmament of Hamas and the exit of its leaders from the Strip to other countries, and the administration of Gaza by a committee of technocrats and international experts, supervised by a council chaired by Trump himself and whose members include former British prime minister Tony Blair.

Under the plan, Israel would gradually withdraw from the Strip, while retaining a “security belt.”

A second source close to the negotiations in Doha said there are “two views within Hamas: the first supports unconditional approval of the plan and a ceasefire, with mediators ensuring Israel implements the plan,” while the second “has major reservations about key clauses, including rejecting disarmament and the removal of any citizen abroad.”

The source added that this second camp “supports conditional approval with clarifications (…) so as not to give legitimacy to the occupation of the Gaza Strip and to criminalize the resistance.”

The source close to Hamas said “no final decision has yet been made in Hamas,” adding that the movement “will likely need two or three days and will issue an official statement” on its position and “inform the mediators.”

On Tuesday, Trump threatened Hamas with a grim fate and gave it three to four days to respond to his peace plan.

Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said in a press interview that the main objective is to end the war in Gaza, noting that some points in Trump’s plan require further clarification and discussion, including the Israeli withdrawal from the Strip.

The Qatari prime minister said, “There are things that need clarification… and discussion and negotiation.”

He added that “the issue of the withdrawal, of course, needs some clarifications and some work, and I believe it should be discussed in detail, and this is primarily the duty of the Palestinian side with the Israeli side.”