Exclusive: The 100-Word Ceasefire “Proposal” Trump Sent Hamas
“It looks like it was written by the Israelis,” a senior Hamas official told Drop Site.
A five-point summary outlining U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal for a Gaza ceasefire was delivered to Hamas by mediators over the weekend. Trump has characterized the ultimatum as the final offer to the Palestinian resistance movement before Israel accelerates its campaign to enact the total destruction of the Gaza Strip.
The brief, approximately 100-word document, presented in Arabic and obtained by Drop Site, is titled, “The Main Proposal.” The full text and English translation is at the bottom of this article.
The outline, which contains sparse details, states that, within 48 hours of accepting the ultimatum, Hamas and other resistance groups would release all Israeli captives, living and deceased. In return, Israel would free an unspecified number of “Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life and detainees from Gaza” within 48 hours.
“A ceasefire will go into effect upon implementation, for a period of 60 days or until negotiations are concluded. President Trump will guarantee that the parties negotiate in good faith until an agreement is reached,” according to the outline.
During this two-month period of negotiation, the outline proposes the “disarmament” of Gaza and “the formation of a new government,” saying that the withdrawal of Israeli forces would be addressed only after a new governing authority is installed or negotiations are completed. It also mentions “amnesty” for Hamas members. The document—which is, at times confusingly phrased—refers to negotiating “the definition of Hamas,” but does not explain what that means.
The U.S. proposal states that there would be “Open flow of aid into Gaza upon implementation of the agreement,” but does not address the quantity of aid, who would distribute it, or what types of goods would be allowed in.
It is not clear who drafted the document that Hamas says was delivered to the movement by the mediators. It does not contain any seals, stamps, or signatures, and it is not dated.
“This is what we received from the Americans. It looks like it was written by the Israelis,” a senior Hamas official told Drop Site. “The intention isn't [only] to achieve a full military victory or surrender of the movement, but also a de-legitimization of the Palestinian resistance, to deal with it like the Nazis, and the Israelis enjoy [the appearance of] moral superiority.”
Amit Segal, an Israeli analyst known for his connections to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Sunday, “This is not an American proposal, but an Israeli one, wrapped in elegant cellophane and labeled ‘Made in the USA.’” He added: “Trump’s plans are a bit like Apple products—iPhones are manufactured in China, then shipped to the U.S., where they are wrapped and stamped ‘Made in the USA.’”
The latest U.S. outreach to Hamas began on August 31 via backchannel intermediaries working under the direction of Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. Last Friday, Trump claimed that the U.S. was “in very deep negotiation with Hamas.” The Hamas official said he would not characterize the situation as “deep negotiations,” adding that Hamas made clear to the U.S. intermediaries that it was open to either a partial or comprehensive deal. Trump said that his message was that if all Israeli captives were not released at once, “it’s going to be a tough situation, it’s going to be nasty.” Trump added it was “Israel’s choice, but that’s my opinion.”
That day, the Israeli army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir threatened to assassinate Hamas leaders outside of Gaza, saying, “Our hand is still outstretched—most of Hamas’s leadership sits abroad. We will reach them, too.”
Hamas struck a diplomatic tone in acknowledging receipt of the U.S. concept on Sunday. Hamas officials have told Drop Site that they recognize that the only way to end Israel’s genocidal war through a formal agreement is if Trump effectively orders Netanyahu to make a deal.
“Hamas welcomes any initiative that helps in the efforts to stop the aggression against our people. We affirm our immediate readiness to sit at the negotiation table to discuss the release of all prisoners in exchange for a clear declaration to end the war, the full withdrawal from Gaza, and the formation of a committee to manage Gaza from Palestinian independents, who will immediately begin their work,” the Hamas statement said. “We also demand a guarantee that the enemy will openly and explicitly commit to what is agreed upon, so that previous experiences of reaching agreements that are later rejected or overturned will not be repeated.”
According to sources within Hamas, and those close to the Palestinian negotiating team, Trump’s “new” concept is being viewed with extreme skepticism with suspicions it is yet another coordinated U.S.-Israeli deception operation to continue the genocide, while blaming Hamas for “rejecting” peace.
“This may be a new maneuver to help Netanyahu to gain more time and to continue their plans in Gaza. Or they are under pressure [from the U.S.] to end the war but [want to do so] with the Israeli conditions, which aren't acceptable” to Hamas, said the senior official, adding that Hamas will not negotiate an agreement based on vague pledges from Trump. “There must be indirect, bilateral negotiations and mutual commitments, witnessed by the mediators and guaranteed by them.”
Hamas officials told Drop Site that the U.S. had suggested to Hamas that the release of all Israeli captives would be an “initial gesture” and lead to Trump calling for an end to the war and, thus, guaranteeing serious negotiations. Beyond the fact that releasing all captives held in Gaza would be to surrender the only leverage the Palestinian resistance holds in the negotiations, the senior Hamas official cited its experience with the case of Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander.
Witkoff, according to Hamas, promised the group in May that the Trump administration would compel Israel to lift the Gaza blockade and allow humanitarian aid to enter the territory once Alexander was freed. Hamas also said Witkoff pledged that Trump would call for a permanent ceasefire. The agreement was not formally put into writing, and after Alexander was released on May 12, the U.S. reneged. Trump “lied every time or broke his promises in favor of Israel,” said the Hamas official.
“Everyone wants the Hostages HOME. Everyone wants this War to end! The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well,” Trump said Sunday in a post on Truth Social. Israel has not publicly confirmed that it has accepted Trump’s proposal. “I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
In response to Trump’s unspecified threats, the senior Hamas official said, “What can they do more than what they are already doing?” He added, “This is maybe the 10th warning.” On March 5, Trump declared on social media, “This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance.” He added, “Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision.”
On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz pledged to intensify bombings of Gaza City as part of its campaign to forcibly displace more than a million Palestinians. In recent days, Israeli forces have bombed large residential buildings in Gaza City. “Today, a powerful hurricane will strike the skies of Gaza City, and the roofs of the terror towers will tremble,” he wrote on X. “This is a final warning to the murderers and rapists of Hamas in Gaza and in luxury hotels abroad: Release the hostages and lay down your weapons—or Gaza will be destroyed, and you will be annihilated. The [Israel Defense Forces] continues as planned, and is preparing to expand the maneuver to decisively defeat Gaza.”
Netanyahu has repeatedly said that Israel will not end the genocidal war unless Gaza is totally demilitarized and Israel achieves “security control in the Strip,” Hamas is eradicated, and Israeli-endorsed governance is established in Gaza.
For months, Hamas has publicly stated that it would relinquish its governing authority and hand power to an independent technocratic committee of Palestinians. In May, Hamas formally proposed including this term in a ceasefire framework, and the U.S. and Israel removed it. Instead, the U.S. and Israel have repeatedly and falsely claimed Hamas is refusing to step down and used this as a justification for continuing the genocide.
Hamas officials continue to emphasize that any deal must include an internationally-guaranteed end to the genocide, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the unrestricted flow of life essentials and aid to the enclave. It has also said that disarmament of Palestinians is not acceptable and would constitute a surrender of the cause of Palestinian liberation.
“Resistance and its weapons are a legitimate right, guaranteed to us as the Palestinian people—not only as Hamas—by international law, and proven effective throughout the history of nations under occupation,” said Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim in a statement provided to Drop Site. “This right cannot be relinquished except with the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and with the guaranteed return of Palestinian refugees. Until that happens, Hamas is open to engaging in a long-term truce.”
For three weeks, Israel has refused to officially respond to Hamas’s acceptance, with minor amendments, of a two-month ceasefire deal based on a framework drafted by Witkoff and Netanyahu’s lead negotiator, Ron Dermer. For months, Trump and Netanyahu had been demanding Hamas agree to the “Witkoff framework,” which would have seen the release of ten of the 20 living Israeli captives believed to still be in Gaza. On August 18, following several days of meetings with Egyptian officials and a range of Palestinian political parties and leaders, Hamas formally agreed to the framework, despite deep reservations about U.S. willingness to enforce it and the high likelihood Israel would resume the genocide after securing the release of Israeli captives.
In its acceptance of the framework, Hamas offered major concessions on a range of issues. According to the document, obtained by Drop Site, these included reducing the number of Palestinians that would be freed in a deal, dropping Hamas’s demand for a clearly defined withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Philadelphi corridor in southern Gaza, and permitting Israeli-occupied buffer zones encircling Gaza to cut deeper into the enclave. Regional mediators said Hamas’s terms constituted 98% of what Israel and the U.S. had demanded it accept. “The occupation has yet to respond to it, and instead, it has continued its massacres and ethnic cleansing,” Hamas said in its statement Sunday.
Netanyahu has been able to continue the genocide because of the full support of the United States. While Trump recently acknowledged that Israel’s public reputation had been damaged, including among members of Congress, Netanyahu has remained defiant.
“I want to say one thing: If I have to choose between victory over our enemies and bad propaganda against us, I choose victory over our enemies, rather than the opposite,” Netanyahu declared September 7. “Our effort in Gaza on the last strongholds, actually the last important stronghold—Gaza City—is part of our effort to complete the crushing of the Iranian axis's chokehold. This axis is essentially intended to destroy the State of Israel, and by dismantling and damaging it, we are removing another existential threat to Israel, the primary threat.”
On March 2, Israel unilaterally withdrew from the January 19, 2025 ceasefire and captive exchange deal endorsed by both outgoing President Joe Biden and Trump. It imposed a full-spectrum blockade on Gaza’s population, accelerating the impact of its forced starvation operations. On March 18, Israel resumed its genocidal terror bombings and has continued to expand its aerial strikes and ground operations with the full U.S. backing.
Since Israel broke the January ceasefire, Hamas has repeatedly offered to return to the deal or to negotiate a new one that would include releasing all Israeli captives at once. Israel has rejected all of these offers, threatening to continue its “conquest” of Gaza, while expanding its scorched earth attacks across the Strip.
Below is the Arabic text and English translation of the document presented to Hamas as a summary of Trump’s concept for a ceasefire deal:
The Main Proposal:
All hostages, alive and deceased, will be released within 48 hours of signing.
Numbers consistent with previous releases, Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life and detainees from Gaza will be released within 48 hours.
A ceasefire will go into effect upon implementation, for a period of 60 days or until negotiations are concluded. President Trump will guarantee that the parties negotiate in good faith until an agreement is reached.
The issues to be negotiated include: the definition of Hamas, the definition of disarmament, the formation of a new government, the withdrawal of Israeli forces upon the formation of the government or upon successful conclusion of negotiations, and amnesty for Hamas members.
Open flow of aid into Gaza upon implementation of the agreement.
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Laughable, if the implications weren't so deadly and tragic. Our "diplomacy" has devolved to a kindergarten level. The combination of incompetence and being dog-walked by Israel is breathtaking. We have burned our political capital and standing in the world, even in the eyes of other Western allies who have been supporting the Genocide. Our credibility and word have no value. We have no standing, other than as a global bully. So ashamed and mortified.
Yeah, right: put your faith and trust in the honesty and integrity of people who have made their living in real estate.