Hamas sources said on Monday that proposals now on the table to end the Gaza war were riddled with “traps and pitfalls” but signaled the Palestinian group was willing to engage in talks, stressing the need for a deal that secures a permanent halt to hostilities.
The comments came a day after Axios reported that US envoy Steve Witkoff had exchanged messages with Hamas through intermediaries on a new ceasefire initiative, backed by a guarantee from US president Donald Trump. According to the report, Trump warned Hamas of “unbearable consequences” if the proposal failed.
“What is being floated are ideas still under discussion and modification with several parties, chiefly Egypt and Qatar,” one Hamas source told Asharq Al-Awsat. “The aim is to craft a comprehensive proposal that meets everyone’s demands, above all an end to the war.”
Hamas, the sources said, was not setting rigid preconditions but warned that some clauses would be difficult to implement. One proposal envisages all hostages being freed on the first day of a truce, something the group described as “impractical” without firm guarantees of an Israeli withdrawal to lines agreed under a January framework. The group said any deal must include a phased pullout of Israeli forces across the Gaza Strip, overseen personally by Trump.
Hostages and bodies
Hamas told mediators it could not release all captives – dead and alive – immediately, pointing out that some bodies remain buried under rubble in areas bombarded by Israel or inside zones now held by Israeli troops. Israel says Hamas still holds 48 captives from the 256 people seized during the Oct. 7, 2023, assault, 19 of whom are confirmed alive.
The sources said the movement was ready to free some living hostages on the first day, and later release a larger group of both living captives and bodies once conditions on the ground allowed recovery operations. They rejected suggestions that Hamas was stalling, arguing that safe access was needed to retrieve remains from combat zones.
Withdrawal and crossings
The sources also voiced concern that current ideas do not address an Israeli withdrawal from strategic corridors such as the Salah al-Din (Philadelphi) route along Gaza’s southern border, nor the reopening of Rafah crossing for two-way civilian traffic. They said guarantees were needed from Israel, under US and international supervision, to end the war and prevent backtracking on any agreement.
While Cairo and Doha remain the main brokers, Hamas said other intermediaries have entered the picture, including figures linked to past negotiations. Media reports have pointed to Gershon Baskin, an Israeli-American journalist involved in the 2011 prisoner exchange that freed Gilad Shalit, as playing a role. Baskin declined comment when contacted by Asharq Al-Awsat.
In a statement late on Sunday, Hamas confirmed it had received “ideas” from the American side via mediators, welcomed moves to halt the fighting and said it was “ready to immediately sit at the negotiating table” to discuss a full prisoner exchange in return for a declared end to the war, Israel’s complete withdrawal, and the formation of an independent Palestinian committee to administer Gaza.
The group said any deal must be guaranteed publicly to avoid a repeat of past breakdowns, citing an Aug. 18 proposal – backed by US mediators and accepted by Hamas in Cairo – which it said Israel had ignored while continuing its offensive.
