DOHA – Hamas leaders are weighing amendments to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed Gaza peace plan, with the group seeking to alter clauses on disarmament and expulsion, a Palestinian source close to the movement told AFP on Wednesday.
Negotiators from Hamas met Tuesday in Doha with Turkish, Egyptian, and Qatari officials, the source said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks. A formal response could come “within two or three days,” the source added.
The Trump plan, endorsed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, the group’s disarmament, and a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
But Hamas insists on changes. Leaders want “international guarantees for a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip” and assurances that no assassinations of its members will occur inside or outside the territory. They also reject provisions requiring cadres of Hamas or allied factions to leave Gaza.
The negotiations follow a deadly Israeli strike last month on Hamas officials in Doha, who had been meeting to consider a previous ceasefire proposal. Six people were killed.
According to another source familiar with the talks, Hamas itself is divided. One camp favors accepting the plan outright to secure a Trump brokered ceasefire provided mediators enforce Israeli compliance. Others hold “serious reservations,” particularly over disarmament and forced expulsions, warning that such measures would “legitimize occupation while criminalizing resistance.”
For now, discussions continue, with Hamas also consulting unnamed Arab and regional parties. A decision, sources say, may come soon revealing whether the movement will compromise or stand firm against the disarmament clause at the heart of Trump’s plan.
