A limited step designed to buy time and preserve negotiating leverage.
Gaza, October 2025
Hamas announced that it has agreed to several essential components of the 21-point peace plan proposed by Donald Trump, including its willingness to release all remaining hostages still held in Gaza. However, the group made clear that other provisions require “further internal consultations” among Palestinian factions, emphasizing the need for broader consensus on territorial control, future governance, and power-sharing arrangements.
The announcement came just hours after Trump issued an ultimatum demanding acceptance of the plan before Sunday noon, warning that Israeli forces would escalate their operations if Hamas rejected the proposal. Hamas responded by agreeing to release the captives and by signaling readiness to partially transfer administrative control over Gaza, though it stopped short of explicitly committing to disarmament or renouncing its political influence.
Israel’s initial reaction was cautious. The government has endorsed the full plan presented by Washington but conditioned its implementation on complete compliance with all agreed terms. From the White House, U.S. officials called for a pause in airstrikes to create space for negotiations. Diplomatic mediators in Egypt and Qatar, both deeply involved since the conflict began, urged both parties to resolve outstanding issues swiftly and avoid triggering another phase of escalation.
Regional analysts warn that Hamas’s partial acceptance could be a strategic maneuver intended to buy time under mounting military and diplomatic pressure. Across the Middle East, governments are watching carefully: some view the move as a sign of genuine flexibility, while others interpret it as a calculated effort to preserve bargaining power in future rounds of talks.
The unresolved points will determine the fate of the negotiations. These include the complete disarmament of Hamas, international supervision of border crossings, control of Gaza’s airspace, and the distribution of authority between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. If Hamas continues to withhold firm commitments on these issues, negotiations could stall or collapse in the face of Israeli demands for full security guarantees.
This development once again places Gaza and the Palestinian question at the center of a broader strategic struggle, where military pressure, diplomatic maneuvering, and symbolic gestures intersect. In this environment, every word of acceptance and every reservation carry disproportionate weight.
Each provision accepted and each clause left unresolved reflects a deeper tension between conceding to survive and delaying to avoid defeat. In that delicate balance lies the true measure of both sides’ willingness—and their allies’ capacity—to turn rhetoric into tangible progress.
Narrative is power too. / La narrativa también es poder.