President Donald Trump has set a firm deadline for the terrorist group Hamas to accept the peace deal he crafted with Israel and a coalition of Arab nations.
The president published a statement on Truth Social on Friday morning, putting a time limit on accepting the 20-point peace plan he calls Hamas’s “last chance.”
“An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time. Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.”
He added, “THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.”
The announcement gives Hamas a few extra days to deliberate its next move, as Trump estimated earlier this week that the terrorist group had “three or four” days to decide — a time frame that has already elapsed.
Reports in Saudi outlets suggest that Hamas leadership is torn over the deal, with officials prepared to “not reject the plan entirely” but instead “accept it in part, with the addition of amendments related to certain issues, particularly those related to the handover of the hostages, the withdrawal of the IDF, and other matters.”
Such a lukewarm response will be a tough sell for the Trump administration, which has expressed a “take it or leave it” attitude regarding this final offer.
Failing to accept the plan could also lose Hamas its last remaining allies, neighboring Arab nations that have grown tired of the terrorist group’s unwillingness to establish peace.
Trump specifically shouted out the “great, powerful, and very rich Nations of the Middle East, and the surrounding areas beyond” that worked with the United States to craft his plan.
Egypt and Qatar, which have been key mediators with Hamas for years, are pressuring the terrorist group to take this opportunity and end the conflict.
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani reportedly told Hamas leaders during a meeting in Doha on Monday that he would be unable to secure a better deal for them than the current offer.
The plan outlines a multistep restructuring of Gaza, including the total disarmament of Hamas, free flow of humanitarian aid to civilians, and the establishment of a transitional government.
“Most of the [remaining Hamas soldiers] are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, ‘GO,’ for their lives to be quickly extinguished,” Trump said in his Friday statement. “As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down, and killed.”
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“I am asking that all innocent Palestinians immediately leave this area of potentially great future death for safer parts of Gaza. Everyone will be well cared for by those that are waiting to help. Fortunately for Hamas, however, they will be given one last chance!” the president added. “THIS DEAL ALSO SPARES THE LIVES OF ALL REMAINING HAMAS FIGHTERS!”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly opposed the plan at first but was strong-armed into support by Trump following the Jewish state’s unprecedented cross-border bombings into Qatar last month. Now, the prime minister says there is no other way forward.
“This can be done the easy way, or it can be done the hard way, but it will be done,” Netanyahu said while giving a conference with Trump at the White House on Monday. “We prefer the easy way, but it has to be done.”
The U.S. offered Qatar a defense guarantee against future aggression following Israel’s strikes.
