Gaza: The ambiguities of the Trump plan "blur" the landscape

Hamas has accepted part of the US president's plan, but is seeking further negotiations on many terms. Trump's vague plan complicates matters.

Friday brought glimmers of hope for what almost everyone – except Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right, war-mongering ministers – had been anxiously awaiting: news of a possible ceasefire and a plan to liberate Gaza , which over the past two years has been transformed into a slaughterhouse.

Hamas welcomed Donald Trump's efforts, as well as those of the international community and Arab states, with reservations, finally giving the long-awaited response to the US president's proposal to release the hostages and end the war in Gaza.

So is this the moment that millions of people have been dreaming of and fighting for? The end of the mass slaughter in Gaza? The end of the two-year nightmare for the families of Israeli hostages and prisoners? The end of a war across the region that has brought the world to the brink?

Trump, who wants to be known as a peacemaker, and has even set his sights on the Nobel Peace Prize, certainly believes so: “Based on the statement Hamas just issued, I believe they are ready for lasting PEACE. Israel must immediately stop bombing Gaza so we can get the hostages out safely and quickly! This is not just about Gaza, but about the long-awaited PEACE in the Middle East,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.

The devil, however, is (as always) in the details. And so far, neither Netanyahu nor Hamas have agreed on every specific point of the plan . Instead, both have publicly stated their own interpretations of the proposal and have pledged to support them.

The problem is that Trump's 20-point plan is vague and unclear. So much so that it has allowed Trump, Netanyahu, Hamas to effectively express and promote their own interpretations of it.

What Trump, Hamas and Netanyahu have said
Hamas responded to Trump's proposed peace plan by declaring that it would hand over the administration of Gaza to a Palestinian body of "technocrats" and release all hostages "alive and dead."

On the other hand, it seeks to negotiate several issues included in the plan.

Trump called on Israel to "immediately stop the bombing of Gaza," adding that Hamas is "ready for lasting peace."

Netanyahu said Israel would prepare to implement the “first phase” of Trump’s plan to release the hostages and pledged to cooperate “fully with the President and his team to end the war.”

The American plan stipulates that once Israel publicly accepts the deal, a 72-hour period will begin for the return of all hostages.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Hamas' response to the deal "a significant step forward."

What did Hamas agree to and what did it not?
Hamas's response to Trump's proposal does not constitute a full agreement, but it does accept some of the critical elements that Western and Middle Eastern countries consider necessary to end the war.

The points on which they agree:

Hamas has agreed to release all remaining Israeli hostages, just hours after Donald Trump's 6pm ET (22:00 GMT) deadline on Sunday for them to accept his Gaza peace plan.
It also stated that it “renews its agreement to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independent (technocrats), based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support.”
On what points does he wish for further negotiations:

The organization did not mention disarmament in its statement.
It also did not agree to no longer play any role in the governance of Gaza.
It is unclear whether Trump will accept renegotiation of these issues.

Also, the fact that Trump's plan does not include any provision or guarantee for the creation of a Palestinian state adds fuel to the fire.

Instead – somewhat confusingly – it states that after the elimination of Hamas, if the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority in the West Bank is “reformed” sufficiently to allow its return to some role of power, then “the conditions may finally be ripe for a credible path towards self-determination and the creation of a Palestinian state.”

But, once again: no guarantees . At the press conference announcing the plan last week, Netanyahu was particularly emphatic on this point. He said he welcomed Trump’s rejection of a Palestinian state, adding that recognizing such a state, in the context of the October 7 attacks, would “ reward terrorists, undermine security and endanger Israel’s existence .”

In addition, he added a few more caveats, including those for “reform” of the Palestinian Authority that are not mentioned in Trump’s 20-point plan – such as ending the “legal war” against Israel in the International Criminal Court and the International Criminal Court in The Hague, stopping incitement in the media, and the Palestinian Authority’s recognition of a “Jewish state.”