Palestinian Group Seeks Key Revisions to Trump's Gaza Peace Proposal Before Acceptance, Insiders Indicate

The Palestinian faction is likely to demand important amendments to the US administration's peace plan for Gaza but may eventually accept the outline within days as a basis for fresh talks, as per analysts and insiders familiar with the organization.

Trump's Deadline and Plan Details

The US president imposed a deadline of “three or four days” from this week for the group to respond to his 20-point plan, which seeks to end the two-year war in the Gaza Strip and enable an seemingly open-ended global oversight of the devastated region, or confront severe repercussions.

Gaza-based analyst Mkhaimar Abusada remarked that the group now faces a choice of “two difficult options.” Abusada continued, “If they reject Trump's plan, as Trump has emphasized, that will not be good and will allow Israeli forces to take all necessary actions to end the conflict. They will say ‘yes, but we need certain changes’.”

Hamas's Key Concerns

A senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations commented that it would be extremely challenging for the faction to agree to the terms without reservations. “That is understandable. The proposal lacks details. Yet any response short of full and unconditional approval will be used against Hamas by Israel, the US government, and possibly the European Union,” he said.

Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted the US proposal, which incorporated several of Israel's principal demands and was drafted without consulting Hamas.

The Israeli leader, who is wanted for alleged war crimes by the ICC from the military campaign in the territory, has stated that Israel would “complete its mission” if the group refused the plan or slowed its execution. Earlier this year, Israeli forces unilaterally broke a two-month truce, refusing to move to a scheduled next stage that could have permanently halted hostilities.

Internal Disagreements and Outside Influence

The group's leadership are divided among Turkey, Doha, and Gaza, which hinders deliberations on the group's response. Turkey and Qatar are urging Hamas to make concessions.

A major sticking point is the plan's demand that Hamas disarm, a insider familiar with the organization revealed. The handover of all weapons would be extremely hard for Hamas to agree to, particularly without any political process or meaningful advancement toward a Palestinian state.

“There are varying viewpoints within the organization. Those in Qatar tend to be more pragmatic, especially in contrast with the military leadership in Gaza. It is an obvious need to secure the support of the armed faction, and the rank and file fighters,” Lovatt said.

War Context and Civilian Toll

Hostilities were sparked by the Hamas raid into Israeli territory that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people, mostly civilians. About two hundred fifty were captured, of whom 48 are still in Gaza, though fewer than half are surviving.

More than sixty-six thousand individuals, mostly non-combatants, have been fatally injured by Israel's offensive in Gaza, large parts of the territory reduced to ruins, and most of the 2.3 million-strong residents forced from their homes many times.

Trump's Plan Details

Trump's proposal will require the militants to release all captives within 72 hours of a truce coming into effect, the phased pullback of IDF troops to a buffer zone along the edge, and a surge of relief supplies. It also stipulates the Israeli government to free more than a thousand Palestinian prisoners, many serving life sentences, which Hamas could frame as a major achievement.

Another concern for Hamas is the vague promise of troop pullbacks, though the clear statement that there will be no annexation or occupation of the territory by Israeli forces was welcomed by one source familiar with the group.

The Group's Current Situation and Capabilities

Some analysts say that internal disagreements within Hamas are frequently exaggerated.

“I don't think there is a genuine division between the Gaza leadership, the West Bank, and the external officials. All factions concur on opposing the disarmament because the armed struggle is such a deep principle in their identity and ethos,” said Michael Milshtein.

The group has experienced major casualties in the conflict. Thousands of fighters have been eliminated, along with almost all top commanders. A report by ACLED indicated that at least forty leaders and key operatives in Hamas's military wing had been targeted by Israeli airstrikes since March. Their deaths have resulted in only a single senior commander from the pre-war command structure remaining active, the group reported.

But the faction maintains insurgent activities and maintains elements of administration in the lack of any alternative. Humanitarian officials in the territory said that the faction still had a significant influence in the urban center, the “central camps” farther south, and the beach area of a coastal region.

Hamas, which was established in the late 1980s, has recruited many of new fighters who, though untrained and poorly equipped, can cause harm on IDF troops.

The expert noted that, according to defense officials, ninety percent of leaders had been killed, 97% of its missiles destroyed or launched, but only 40% of the faction's extensive tunnel network had been eliminated. “Hamas have adapted to the new conditions. They remain active in areas where the IDF has declared Hamas is totally defeated, but you can’t totally erase Hamas. They have metamorphosed and they have survived,” he concluded.

Internal Opposition to the Proposal

Certain within Hamas are committed to opposing the US proposal outright.

“There is a faction from the military wing, especially the younger fighters, which wants to keep fighting,” the analyst explained. “Their view is that Israel is struggling strategically: the call-up of part-time soldiers is a significant strain, national votes are due within a year, there is growing global and local criticism … Therefore, for them, it’s simply a matter of who will endure longer.”