by Jeremy Scahill and Jawa Ahmad at Drop Site
Three weeks ago, Hamas agreed to a U.S.-Israeli-drafted ceasefire, but its offer was ignored. Now, the movement says it will accept a comprehensive deal in a renewed bid to end the genocide.
Hamas’s political leadership is reaffirming its willingness to make a deal that would see all Israeli captives released immediately in return for a ceasefire agreement that would bring an end to Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinians of Gaza and a withdrawal of Israeli troops. “The movement reiterates its readiness to enter into a comprehensive deal under which all enemy prisoners held by the resistance will be released in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners held by the occupation,” Hamas said in a statement on Wednesday night. The statement added that Hamas has made clear its willingness to relinquish governance of Gaza to pave the way for “an independent national administration of technocrats to manage all Gaza Strip affairs and assume its responsibilities immediately in all areas.”
Hamas’s statement came hours after President Donald Trump posted a message on TruthSocial. “Tell Hamas to IMMEDIATELY give back all 20 Hostages (Not 2 or 5 or 7!), and things will change rapidly. IT WILL END!” Trump wrote.
Israel and the U.S. have both publicly dismissed the fact that, on August 18, Hamas agreed to a 60-day ceasefire deal presented by regional mediator Egypt that featured sweeping concessions from Hamas. The document, obtained by Drop Site, was endorsed by Hamas and a range of other Palestinian political parties and factions. The deal is a slightly modified version of the 13-point framework put forward by Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and drafted in coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top aide, Ron Dermer. That deal would have seen the release of ten living Israeli captives—half the number believed to remain in Gaza—in a 50-day period.
“We say to President Trump:…
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