Hamas Delivers ‘Positive’ Response to U.S.-Brokered 60-Day Gaza Truce

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Updated Jul 4, 2025, 08:34 PM

Hamas said on Friday it has handed mediators Qatar and Egypt a “positive” written reply to the United States-brokered ceasefire framework for Gaza, adding that only minor, formal amendments were requested. In an official statement, the group said it is ready to start immediate negotiations on practical steps to implement the plan.

According to details outlined by negotiators and seen by Reuters, the draft provides for a 60-day truce, phased release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and a staged pull-back of Israeli forces from parts of the enclave while talks continue toward a permanent cease-fire. U.S. President Donald Trump, who called the text a “final proposal,” said earlier in the week that Israel had already accepted the main conditions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to comment but is scheduled to meet Trump in Washington on 7 July. Netanyahu has insisted that any agreement must ultimately lead to Hamas’s disarmament, a demand the movement has so far rejected. A deal would mark the first sustained halt in the 21-month war, which Gaza’s Health Ministry says has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians and left most of the territory’s 2 million residents displaced. Israel estimates about 20 hostages remain alive in Gaza.

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