Responding to Trump, Hamas says Gaza deal must ‘clearly lead to complete end’ of war

Hamas says it is open to a ceasefire agreement with in Gaza but is stopping short of accepting a US-backed proposal announced by President Donald Trump that he said Jerusalem had agreed to.

Hamas official Taher al-Nunu says the group is “ready and serious regarding reaching an agreement.”

Hamas is “ready to accept any initiative that clearly leads to the complete end to the war,” he says.

The question of whether a ceasefire will end the war or allow Israel to resume fighting has been the main sticking point keeping the sides from coming to an agreement, according to sources familiar with the talks.

Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, during which he would “work to end the war,” in comments that seemingly attempted to thread the needle between the warring sides’ positions.

Israel says it will not accept an end to the war until Hamas is defeated, while Hamas has demanded that any deal permanently end the war.

A Hamas delegation is expected to meet with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the proposal, according to an Egyptian official. The official speaks on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the talks with the media.