By Jackson Richman
WASHINGTON—Terrorist group Hamas has accepted a proposed deal that would result in a temporary cease-fire and a release of hostages.
Qatar announced the move and is awaiting Israel’s response.
The cease-fire would be for 60 days as an unspecified number of prisoners and hostages will be swapped, in addition to the repositioning of Israeli forces and the increase of humanitarian assistance going into Gaza, according to Qatari Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari.
“Hamas’s response was very positive and largely aligns with what was previously approved by the Israeli side, but the mediation is still awaiting an official response from Israel,” he said.
Specifically, Hamas agreed to 98 percent of what Israel has agreed to, according to Ansari. Hamas agreed to reach an eventual end of the war, he said.
Ansari indicated that the negotiation is still in the phase of responses being exchanged. If an agreement were reached between Israel and Hamas, there would be a stage to discuss implementing the deal.
A readout from Qatar said that Ansari warned that “if an agreement is not reached now, all will be facing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, pointing out that the State of Qatar continues its efforts in cooperation with the Arab Republic of Egypt, the United States of America, and other international parties to push for a ceasefire and the entry of humanitarian aid.”
There are no confirmations that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff will go to Cairo or Doha for further negotiations, though communications are ongoing, according to Ansari.
Last time Witkoff was in Doha, he came home empty-handed, saying that Hamas didn’t want to stop the fighting.
“We have decided to bring our team home from Doha for consultations after the latest response from Hamas, which clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza,” he posted on X in July.
“While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith,” he continued. “We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.”
President Donald Trump said on Aug. 18 that the terrorist group needs to be eliminated for the remaining 50 hostages to be freed.
“We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be,” he posted on Truth Social.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee expressed skepticism that a deal would be reached.
“I want to be optimistic, but I’m also aware of who we’re dealing with,” he said during a virtual event hosted by the American Jewish Congress on Aug. 19.
“We’re not dealing with the nation state, we’re not dealing with honorable people,” he continued. “We’re dealing with savages, and these are savages who have done the most horrific things to other human beings.”
Huckabee reiterated the U.S. position that Hamas cannot remain in power in Gaza, saying, “Hamas has no future in Gaza, and they’re not going to be able to stay and to have any leadership role.”
