Hamas discussing US ‘ideas’ for Gaza ceasefire after Trump warning

Hamas says it has received “some ideas” from the US through mediators on how to reach a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

The Palestinian armed group said it was discussing how to develop the ideas, noting that it was ready to release its 48 remaining hostages in Gaza in return for a “clear” declaration ending the war.

A Palestinian official told the BBC the US plan would see the hostages freed in the first 48 hours of a 60-day truce in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and good-faith negotiations on a permanent ceasefire.

It came after US President Donald Trump gave Hamas what he called a “last warning” to agree a deal. He said Israel had accepted his terms, without giving details.

Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, said it was ready to agree a deal ending the war that would include the release of all the hostages – only 20 of whom are believed to be alive – and the disarmament of Hamas.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile warned the approximately one million Palestinians living in famine-stricken Gaza City to evacuate immediately, as the Israeli military stepped up an offensive to conquer it.

“In the last two days we brought down 50 terrorist high-rises, and this is only the beginning of the ground operation in Gaza City,” he said in a video. “I say to the residents of Gaza City: you have been warned, get out of there.”

Hospitals said Israeli attacks killed at least 40 people across Gaza on Monday, including 25 in Gaza City and elsewhere in the north.

The Israeli military said four soldiers were killed in combat in northern Gaza.

On Sunday evening, Hamas put out a statement saying it had “received through the mediators some ideas from the American side aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement” and that it welcomed the initiative.

“The movement is in constant contact with the intermediaries to develop these ideas into a comprehensive agreement that meets the needs of our people,” it added.

Hamas said it was ready to immediately negotiate the release of all those who were taken hostage during the group’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 in exchange for “a clear declaration to end the war, a full withdrawal from Gaza, and the formation of a committee of Palestinian independents to manage Gaza”.

Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump had written on Truth Social: “Everyone wants the Hostages HOME. Everyone wants this War to end! The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well.”

“I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one!”

A senior Palestinian official familiar with the ceasefire efforts told the BBC that under the US proposal, all of the hostages would be released within the first 48 hours of a 60-day truce in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, including those serving life sentences and other lengthy terms, and detainees from Gaza.

According to the official, the proposal also includes a personal guarantee from the US president that both sides would hold good-faith negotiations on an end to the war.

During the first two weeks of the truce, the negotiations would cover key issues, including Hamas’s disarmament, the formation of an independent governing body or administrative committee in Gaza, and arrangements for Israeli troop withdrawals, the official said. Humanitarian aid would also flow openly into Gaza.

The framework appeared to be aimed at creating a pathway to a broader settlement while addressing immediate humanitarian and security concerns.

Israeli media quoted political sources as saying that Israel was “seriously considering” the US plan, but also that Hamas was likely to have difficulty accepting it.

On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told a news conference in Budapest: “President Trump said it clearly yesterday, Israel said yes to his proposal. We are ready to accept a full deal that would end the war based on the cabinet’s decision.

“Two things must happen. One, the return of our hostages… [Two], Hamas must lay down its arms.”

Defence Minister Israel Katz at the same time warned Hamas: “Release the hostages and put down your weapons – or Gaza will be destroyed and you will be annihilated.”

The Israeli military has been intensifying its air and ground attacks on Gaza City, and on Monday a fourth high-rise building was destroyed in an air strike in as many days.

Video footage verified by the BBC showed the al-Roya 2 building collapsing after being hit by two projectiles.

Before the strike, the Israeli military ordered dozens of displaced families who had been sheltering inside the building to evacuate along those who had been living in tents pitched in the surrounding area.

The military said Hamas fighters responsible for installing “intelligence gathering means and explosive devices” had been operating near the building and “used it throughout the war to plan and advance terror attacks against [Israeli] forces”.

“We don’t know what to do and where to go. The bombing is insane,” Janine Zoarob, a displaced woman who was living in one of the tents, told Reuters news agency. “I am afraid for my children, I am afraid for myself, and I am afraid for those around me.”

On Saturday, Israel directed displaced people to head to a newly designated “humanitarian area” in southern Gaza for their “safety”. The zone is less than 43 sq km (17 sq miles), which is equivalent to around 12% of the territory.

The military has said there is essential humanitarian infrastructure there. However, the UN has said the tent camps there are already overcrowded and unsafe, and that hospitals are operating several times above capacity.

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher has also warned the window is closing fast to prevent the famine in Gaza City – which was confirmed last month by global food security experts – from spreading to the central city of Deir al-Balah and southern city of Khan Younis by the end of this month.

He called for humanitarian aid to be allowed in unimpeded and at scale, as well as the protection of civilians, a ceasefire and the release of the hostages.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 64,522 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

The ministry also says 393 people, have so far died during the war as a result of malnutrition and starvation, including six over the past 24 hours.