Trump urges Hamas to act quickly on hostages and peace deal amid complex negotiations.
Yesterday, Hamas announced that it was prepared to release all the remaining Israeli hostages. However, they did not specifically agree to all of the elements of Trump’s peace plan. Specifically, they did not commit to disarming or to stepping aside either militarily or politically.
Despite this, President Trump welcomed their response and said it appeared Hamas was ready for a « lasting peace. » He also called on Israel to stop attacks in Gaza and prepare for the next phase of the hostage release.
But it wasn’t clear if Hamas was really going to release the hostages or just use the promise of releasing them as a way to resume negotiations which they could then drag out for weeks or months.
This morning, President Trump acknowledged that possibility and made it clear he expects Hamas to « move quickly. » « I will not tolerate delay, which many think will happen », he said.
“I appreciate that Israel has temporarily stopped the bombing in order to give the Hostage release and Peace Deal a chance to be completed. Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off. I will not tolerate delay…”- President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/CmNosJ7aPF— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 4, 2025
The Wall Street Journal published a story yesterday saying the situation with Hamas is a bit more complicated than it appears. There are really two factions of Hamas we are dealing with, the wealthy leadership in Qatar and the on-the-ground fighters in Gaza. And those two groups don’t feel the same way about Trump’s peace plan.
Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas’s top negotiator, and several other senior political officials support accepting the proposal despite significant reservations, Arab mediators said.
