Trump gives Hamas Sunday deadline to accept peace plan

In a Friday morning post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump handed the Hamas terrorist organization an ultimatum. The group has until 6 p.m. EDT on Sunday to agree to a 20-point peace plan Trump issued on Monday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted the terms of the plan during meetings at the White House on Monday. Hamas now has until Sunday to accept or face fiery consequences “like no one has ever seen before” Trump posted. He added that others were just waiting on his word for the lives of Hamas terrorists to be quickly extinguished.

Will Hamas accept? The framework requires Hamas members to return all remaining hostages to Israel, renounce terrorism and surrender their arms. Hamas will then receive amnesty and could either live in Gaza with no authority or have safe passage out of the region. Nations that have typically supported Hamas either monetarily or with refuge, such as Qatar and Turkey, have already issued statements supporting Trump’s plan. Israel Defense Forces would slowly phase out of the region and withdraw to a security perimeter, while the international community would provide humanitarian assistance and train a new government. So far, Hamas has issued no response. In his post on Truth Social, Trump warned Palestinians to leave war zones in Gaza for safer areas.

Dig deeper: Read my report in the Stew about what concessions Israel made in the peace plan and why experts say it is unlikely to work.