Key Takeaways:
- Media coverage of Hamas’ response to President Trump’s ceasefire plan made it appear as if the terror group had agreed to release all the Israeli hostages, per the American proposal.
- The Hamas response agreed on the number of Palestinian prisoners who would be released in exchange for all the hostages but was vague about other particulars regarding the hostage release.
- The Hamas response also makes no mention of disarmament and appears to leave the door open for Hamas participation in future governance, something which flies in the face of the principles of the Trump plan.
The news broke Friday that Hamas had agreed to release all the Israeli hostages as part of the ceasefire proposal that had been put forward on September 29, 2025 by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Reuters headlined its article “Hamas says it agrees to release all Israeli hostages under Trump Gaza plan.”
NBC News initially tweeted that “Hamas agrees to release all Israeli hostages and negotiate through mediators, in response to President Trump’s peace proposal.”
The Guardian’s headline noted that “Hamas agrees to free hostages.”
NBC’s staple sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live reported in its “Weekend Update” segment that “Israel and Hamas have tentatively agreed to Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza.”
Even President Trump seemed content with Hamas’ response, calling on Israel to stop bombing Gaza in order to prepare for the return of all the hostages and implying that Hamas appeared prepared to enter into a lasting peace with the Jewish state.
But is all this true? Did Hamas really accept Trump’s ceasefire plan, including the total release of all the Israeli hostages?
The answer is more complicated than might initially appear.
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Following President Trump’s threat that all hell would break loose upon Hamas if it did not accept his ceasefire proposal, the Iran-backed terrorist group published a response in Arabic.
While the ceasefire proposal contained 20 points, Hamas’ response only focused on a few of them.
With regard to the release of Israeli hostages, the Trump plan made it clear that within 72 hours of a ceasefire agreement and the withdrawal of Israeli forces to certain lines, all hostages will be released. Following the release of the hostages, Israel will then release 250 prisoners serving life sentences, as well as 1,700 Gazans who had been detained following the October 7 attacks. In addition, for every deceased Israeli hostage, Israel will release 15 deceased Gazans.
While the Trump plan is explicit in how the hostage release is to be conducted, the Hamas response is more vague, only noting the group’s “agreement to release all Israeli prisoners, both living and dead, according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump’s proposal, provided the field conditions for the exchange are met.”
Thus, Hamas’ “agreement” to the hostage release is effectively only an agreement on how many Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for hostages, without explicitly committing to the other aspects of the hostage release. This is a far cry from what some in the media are claiming has been accepted by Hamas.
Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk tells Al-Jazeera: Releasing all the living hostages and bodies within 72 hours “is theoretical and unrealistic under the current circumstances.” https://t.co/b0bbRs3e1a
— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) October 3, 2025
Aside from the hostage release, what else did Hamas’ response say regarding President Trump’s ceasefire proposal?
In effect, not much.
While President Trump’s plan called for the disarmament of Hamas and demilitarization of Gaza, the Hamas response ignores that.
The only other aspect of the Trump plan that the Hamas response deals with is post-war Gaza being run by Palestinian technocrats instead of its current terror leaders.
While the Hamas response appears to accept this new administration, the next paragraph of its response contains this qualifying statement:
The other issues mentioned in President Trump’s proposal regarding the future of the Gaza Strip and the inherent rights of the Palestinian people are linked to a comprehensive national position and based on relevant international laws and resolutions. They are to be discussed within a comprehensive Palestinian national framework. Hamas will be part of it and will contribute to it with full responsibility.
Thus, it appears that Hamas does not intend to completely withdraw from the governance of the Gaza Strip, which directly contradicts the principles of the ceasefire plan put out by the Trump administration.
Hamas is basically saying no, but in the smartest and least negative way possible.
Yes to hostages but no mention of disarming or not governing Gaza, which are core tenets of the Trump proposal.— Jonathan Conricus (@jconricus) October 3, 2025
Regardless of how the negotiations unfold over the next few days between Israel and Hamas, it is clear that Hamas’ initial response is more vague and less committal to the ceasefire plan than has been presented by some in the media and political echelons.
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