Hamas Rejects Trump's Ceasefire Plan

Hamas Rejects Trump's Ceasefire Plan

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Hamas’ top military leader in Gaza wants the terror group to reject President Trump’s cease-fire proposal, urging negotiators to walk away from the deal, according to a new report.

Ezz al-Din al-Hadad, who helped plan the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, slammed Trump’s 20-point peace deal as a way to eliminate Hamas without achieving any of its goals, the BBC reported.

The terror chief, who holds the fate of the 48 hostages in his hands, called on negotiators in Qatar to reject the deal, reportedly telling the team that he plans to continue the war with Israel.

Al-Hadad’s position is the strongest rebuke from the terror group so far after Trump presented his framework for a peace deal and demanded Hamas accept it by the end of the week.

As Hamas’ delegation reviews the terms, it has emerged that some of its political leaders were open to accepting the deal — so long as adjustments were made to fulfill the terror group’s goal of an independent Palestine.

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Along with al-Hadad, Palestinian Islamic Jihad — a fellow terror group that helped conduct the Oct. 7 attack and kidnappings — has also rejected the plan, with members of the terror groups claiming the deal only “serves Israeli interests.”

The deal has also been complicated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest comments on social media, where he insisted that his military will remain in parts of Gaza and establish a security zone that would “forcibly resist” any Palestinian state.

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Trump said Hamas must put out an official response to his deal by Friday or Saturday, warning that if the terror group resists, it will face “a very sad end.”

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The political leaders, however, have limited influence in the negotiations as al-Hadad and his army hold the biggest bargaining chips, the 48 hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are still believed to be alive.

Al-Hadad, who is known as the “Ghost of al-Qassam,” was named Hamas’ top chief in Gaza after Israel eliminated his two predecessors, Oct. 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar and then his brother Mohammed Sinwar.

Trump’s plan calls for an immediate cease-fire, an exchange of all the 48 hostages, a staged withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and the creation of a transitional government spearheaded by an international body.

While Hamas has previously agreed to some of these terms, the group has repeatedly rejected calls to demilitarize unless a pathway for a Palestinian state is granted.

The terror group has also signaled hesitation towards the transitional government, claiming it would be just another form of occupation.

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