Sources: Hamas Accepts Terms of Trump Plan But Is it Too Late?

Sept. 18—Sources close to the negotiations for a peace deal in Gaza report that Hamas leadership has finally accepted the terms of the Trump plan that would release all the hostages in exchange for releasing over 1,000 political prisoners and ending the war, including the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza City.

The action, which reportedly came with the help of the Qatari leadership and Iran, has been demanded by President Donald Trump as a prerequisite for him to use leverage to force an end to the fighting and to get the Butcher of Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, to implement the deal. Netanyahu is on record as saying he supports the Trump Plan, but sources both in Israel and Washington say those were just words he never thought he would be bound by—especially after Bibi ordered a strike in Doha last week intended to kill Hamas negotiators and leaders. They survived that attack, sources report, thanks to a warning that came from inside Israel, and immediately denounced Israel for blowing up the negotiations.

Trump’s Direct Involvement and Simplified Terms

Trump, in a private dinner meeting with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in New York on Sept. 12, urged his dinner guest to get Hamas to agree to the terms of his plan as quickly as possible, saying the peace process was running out of time.

Sources say that Trump has simplified the deal: release all hostages, dead and alive; Israel releases 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including some with life sentences; all fighting stops immediately; and the Israel Defense Forces begin their withdrawal to designated areas. Meanwhile, massive aid supplies blocked at the Israeli and Egyptian borders would be allowed to come through without restriction, to be administered by competent agencies—the UN and Red Crescent. Hamas would cease all control over Gaza and cede it to a civilian authority, whose composition is yet to be determined. Hamas would lay down its arms and be allowed to leave Gaza, with the process to be negotiated.

The key to this deal is that Trump would personally guarantee that Bibi would not be allowed to restart the war, and that Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who was in the dinner meeting with Al Thani, would guarantee the implementation of its terms.

Doha Strike and Netanyahu’s Alleged Sabotage

Hamas had been considering a response to the Trump plan when the Doha strike occurred. Sources say that one of Bibi's intentions with that strike was to blow up the peace process, which was coming close to forcing a deal on him.

"Netanyahu had ignored a partial hostage release deal, which Witkoff had worked on with Bibi's guy [Strategic Affairs Minister Ron] Dermer and which Hamas had agreed to last month," said a source. "Trump decided to pivot to a more comprehensive deal because he was tired of both Hamas and Bibi wasting his time. Trump had told Al Thani to tell Hamas that he, Trump, was their only way out of this, and that otherwise Bibi was going to kill them all."

Military Escalation Threatens Peace Prospects

If the report is true about Hamas acceptance, Trump—who is on a state visit to the United Kingdom hosted by King Charles—will not be able to act on this until his return tomorrow, although he may have instructed Witkoff to start the process. The problem is that on Sept. 16, Bibi forced the IDF—whose leaders, including Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, had urged a negotiated settlement rather than Bibi's order for the annihilation of Hamas, the destruction of Gaza City, and the full occupation of Gaza, which Zamir had said would likely kill the remaining 20 living hostages—to begin the attack on Gaza City.

A military operation involving two IDF divisions, with a third expected to join the fight, is now underway. The expectation is for horrific levels of civilian casualties, as there are estimated to be still 600,000 people in Gaza City who have refused to flee, despite IDF orders for their evacuation south to the squalor and death of various camps and "safe areas."

Hamas’s Shift to Guerilla Tactics and Civilian Risk

Military sources say Bibi's goal of total destruction of Hamas is impossible to achieve. Hamas has already ceased to operate as a military structure and is now functioning as guerilla formations embedded within the population. These will inflict higher casualty rates on the IDF and cause additional civilian deaths. But Bibi has always desired to kill as many Palestinians as possible, and he will—unless Trump intervenes to restrain him.

"The Trump Plan offers a way to stop the killing," said a source. "Hopefully, the Hamas leadership understands this. They either ordered or went along with those who ordered the savage Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that massacred 1,200 mostly civilians, including women and children, and took the 250 hostages. They gave Bibi the excuse he needed to launch his genocide. The blood of the Palestinians is on their hands as well. Trump wants to end this and he can. But does he really have the guts to denounce what Israel is doing? He has to demand that Bibi go along with his deal and end this war. And if the insane Bibi refuses? He is a man who is willing to kill the remaining living hostages. What is Trump willing to do to punish him if he does not agree to a deal?"

Haaretz Analyst Warns of Netanyahu’s Escalation

Haaretz respected military analyst Amos Harel expressed alarm Sept. 17 at what he heard in a Sept. 15 "crazy" speech to the nation by Bibi, "in which he announced that he would turn Israel into a super Sparta that would establish a self-sufficient economy in Israel in light of Europe's growing animosity."

"Netanyahu has long ceased to show interest in the fate of the hostages. His remarks contain no show of sentiment toward them, but rather just declarations devoid of content and a determined decision to pursue an endless war, because stopping it would endanger his continued political survival...

"The killing of hostages by Hamas would actually hand him an excuse to expand the military operation and, like his coalition partners on the messianic right, aspire toward the complete occupation of the Gaza Strip and the expulsion of its population. That's also what he's hearing among his own family, which is a source of major worry for senior members of the defense establishment.

"Officials in the army are also bothered by the losses among the troops, and it's rather clear that there will soon be major killings of Palestinian civilians, an issue that is barely being addressed in Israel's public discourse but is prompting understandable rage toward Israel around the world.

"And Sept. 15, Netanyahu made a fool's bargain. The drop in the stock market and the worried response of economists and businesspeople caught him unprepared. Hence, the many statements that he has been releasing since in an effort to calm the markets. Was he just coming up with excuses for Israeli citizens in light of the dismal reality or were we getting a genuine glimpse at his apocalyptic vision for the country?

"One way or another, the picture we're getting is highly concerning. The man who's leading Israel into a deepening war in the Strip—amid slim chances of victory—is a failed, isolated and hounded leader who is determined to hold onto power by all means."

Trump’s Moment of Decision

This is what Trump has to confront—for the good of peace in this war-ravaged region, for the good of the United States, which remains Israel's strongest ally, and for the good of Israel.